Purple Quartz (''Grape'' Quartz)

Item Description

During the latter half of 2016, we started seeing these unique and interesting specimens from Indonesia hit the market with labels varying from "Chalcedony" to "Agate" to Quartz and "Amethyst". I'm sure you've seen people selling them as either "Grape Agate" or "Grape Chalcedony" due to the purple color and the fact that they have formed in groups that look like bunches of grapes. Frankly, there could easily be 100 terms to describe cryptocrystalline/drusy/massive uncrystallized Quartz, so you see a lot of names for this kind of material when a new discovery is made. We were able to pick up some pieces direct from the source, and we're happy to have specimens to place in the auctions for all you Quartz collectors out there. It should be noted that with a lot of new discoveries, it’s hard to say how much more will be available, and in what quality. Often the best material tends to find its way to the market first and is typically the least expensive. This piece is filled with beautiful botryoidal, semi-resinous, translucent "balls" or oblong-shaped spheroids measuring to about 5 mm with a gorgeous lavender color that ranges into green color due to Celadonite inclusions. Keep in mind that purple is not a common color for mineral specimens. If you take away Amethyst, suddenly there are only a few species that form in collector quality, well-crystallized examples (e.g., Spinel, Scapolite, Spodumene, Zoisite). The piece does live up to its nickname as it does resemble a bunch of grapes. The piece is actually well-crystallized all around and looks good from several angles. Great shape overall, and a wonderful opportunity to pick up a piece of this exciting new and unique material. Donated to the Rice Museum by a local donor, for this benefit auction.