Quartz var: Amethyst (''Cactus'' Amethyst)

Item Description

Quartz is one of the most notably diverse minerals in the world. The incredible amount of styles, habit, colors and localities makes for a wide range of specimens. Here we have a lovely and three-dimensional display specimen of the so-called "Cactus Amethyst" or "Spirit Quartz" from South Africa. This material first hit the market in the mid 2000s, and really made a splash with collectors, especially Quartz enthusiasts. This piece features beautiful, lustrous, drusy, translucent lilac crystals of Amethyst sitting on an earlier generation of Quartz. The terminations are isolated, while the body of the crystals have a prickly, "cactus" appearance with an overgrowth of smaller crystals along the prisms. The orange color is due to iron-oxide inclusions, and is not Citrine. Boekenhoutshoek is the true source for the Amethystine Quartz, erroneously marketed at first as being from the Magaliesberg Range. No major damage I can see, and the piece sits nicely on its own without the aid of a base or clay.
From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#90 SA), a well-known German collector all over Europe with worldwide contacts to dealers and collectors. He started collecting seriously at the age of 14 and his great and varied worldwide collection reached over 6000 pieces. He was very active mineralogically until shortly before his passing in 2020 at the age of 82. Considering his collection had a large number of pieces, it still had an unusually high standard of quality from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics as well as minerals of the Black Forest, where he spent much time collecting. His Black Forest and German subcollections went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. We at The Arkenstone have the privilege of offering the remainder of this great worldwide collection through our various platforms.