Quartz pseudomorph after Aragonite (''floater'' specimen) (ex Dr. Wouter van Tichelen Collection)

Item Description

A fantastic, three-dimensional "floater" group of prismatic pseudohexagonal crystals (they're actually elongated cyclic twins) of Aragonite that have been replaced by Quartz. The reddish color is most likely due to iron (Hematite?) content. With a small amount of backlighting, you can see a bit of translucency, and the Quartz itself is actually colorless, but the reddish highlights are distributed throughout. The piece is complete on all sides with no major damage. It's noteworthy to say that these pieces came out a few decades ago, but they are quite similar to the contemporary pieces coming out of Morocco today. From the prestigious pseudomorph collection of Dr. Wouter van Tichelen of Belgium.