Quartz (''Mango Quartz'')

Item Description

Quartz is likely the most "inclusion-friendly" mineral species out there. It's not just simple chemical chromophores that are found inside of Quartz, but many other minerals which are frozen inside of Quartz crystal, creating signature pieces. This beautiful showy cabinet specimen is a wonderful display piece of these unique and attractive Quartz specimens, which have been nicknamed "Mango Quartz". They first appeared on the market in 2017, and due to their wonderfully singular color, along with excellent crystallization and aesthetics, they were very well-received, and instantly regarded as some of the most distinctive Quartz crystals ever found. This distinguishing yellow-orange color is obviously what inspired the "Mango Quartz" nickname. Typically, Colombia isn't a big Quartz crystal producing country, and these crystals were actually mined along a roadcut in the middle of the famous Emerald mining region in Boyacá. The upper portions of most of these crystals feature bright yellow-orange inclusions of a mineral that was first reported to be Humboltine, but others have since stated it is Halloysite. I cannot find definitive confirmation that the inclusions are Halloysite, only referential posts on various sites online. The Quartz crystals are high quality in their own right, as they are textbook, hexagonal prisms with good luster, sharpness and fine internal gemminess, which is only accentuated by the beautiful inclusions. This piece features many fine quality sharp, lustrous, prismatic crystals with colorless, gem clarity at the base, and of course those eye-catching yellow inclusions on the terminations, aesthetically sitting atop matrix. The largest crystal measures 6.2 cm. No major damage, and highly presentable. I don't know if there will be more of these in the future, so if you're a fan of interesting Quartz specimens or unique inclusion specimens, don't pass this one up, as there are not nearly as many as there were a few years ago. Valued $2,500.
For more information, please see Rocks & Minerals May/June 2019 issue, Vol. 94, No. 3.