Quartz (classic material)

Item Description

The various Quartz deposits in Arkansas (specifically around Mt Ida) have produced what are unquestionably some of the finest examples of this well-known species extant. People might not value these specimens because of their abundance on the market, but I make the case that it's all the more impressive that SO MANY fine quality pieces have been found for decades. Keep in mind that the vast majority of the crystals you'll see from this area are incredibly sharp, lustrous, well-formed, TRANSPARENT examples, often forming attractive display specimens. This big impressive large cabinet specimen is filled with dozens of superb quality crystals, and is highlighted by a doubly-terminated prism measuring 3.7 cm sitting atop the other crystals. Nearly every Quartz is WATER-CLEAR, and I can't find any notable damage with the naked eye. Even the back of the piece is crystallized, so it's nearly complete all around. A dramatic and impressive example of these not only classic, but world-class Quartz specimens.
From the collection of Armon McPherson, a retired physicist, now living in New Mexico. Armon received his PhD from North Carolina State University in 1985, and worked at the laser laboratory at the University of Illinois at Circle Center. In the summer of 1997, Armon moved to the Argonne National Laboratory where he worked at the Advanced Photon Source, then the world’s largest synchrotron facility dedicated as an x-ray source. In 2001, he was asked to join a team at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque to conduct laser research for DARPA. Finally, staying within Sandia, he transferred to the Z Facility, the world’s most powerful x-ray facility. He retired in the spring of 2017. Armon's introduction to mineral collecting came in the 1980s during graduate school when he attended his first mineral show. He took up the hobby of faceting gems, and focused his early collection on gem crystals, and later transitioned into collecting non-gem species. We are proud to offer specimens from his worldwide mineral collection here for you.