Quartz (''Mango Quartz'')

Item Description

A wonderfully aesthetic display piece of these distinctive Quartz specimens from Colombia. These pieces are unquestionably unique for their attractive yellow-orange coloring, which has given them the nickname "Mango Quartz". These specimens first appeared on the market in 2017, and are unlike anything we've seen, which is really saying something considering how diverse Quartz can be. Due to their wonderfully singular color, along with excellent crystallization, they were very well-received, and instantly regarded as some of the most distinctive Quartz crystals ever found. 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 is a lovely crystal group featuring several crystals with sharp, lustrous faces and of course those eye-catching yellow inclusions which are concentrated largely in a single crystal, with only a tiny amount in the other crystals. The largest crystal measures 6.7 cm. The piece is nearly a complete "floater", as it's re-crystallized ("re-healed") on the underside, and I can only see one small point of attachment. 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. For more information, please see Rocks & Minerals May/June 2019 issue, Vol. 94, No. 3.