Quartz var. Amethyst - old European classic

Item Description

Fine, 19th Century Amethysts from Banska Stiavnica are considered European classics and were highly valued in the old collections there, as they were both rare anyways, and some of the best amethyst known at the time. This plate is a dense forest of purple-tipped Amethyts, and rising above the canopy is a large, 2.4 cm Amethyst. The termination is outstanding, not only for the color and gemminess, but the glassy luster as well. But what makes this crystal so noteworthy are the numerous side cars growing along the prism faces. Not unlike an artichoke in some ways, looking at it you can't help but think of the Guerrero Amethys clusters with the way they splay, or even the famous cactus Amethysts from South Africa with their distinctive sidegrowths. These pieces are part of a century-old Italian collection that was recently acquired. Its historic nature, aside from the sheer age of the specimens, is reflected in how dramatically geopolitical borders have changed since these labels were created (old time Hungary!). This is a really dramatic, fine example from this old location, valued $1000-1500