Quartz var: Amethyst (rare French locality)

Item Description

This locality is a less-known source of Amethyst crystals and specimens are almost impossible to find on the market. This particular piece dates back circa 1980s. Some of the finest examples of crystallized Amethyst from France have come from this locale - Les Isserts. These specific specimens were mined out a Galena and Fluorite vein according to the entry on mindat.org. This hefty near large cabinet sized piece features two generations of deposition with sharp, lustrous, richly colored pyramidal crystals of Amethyst measuring up to 2.6 cm, which have a secondary overgrowth of Amethystine to virtually colorless/white Quartz crystals. Complete all-around, and the only real damage I can see is along the periphery where the piece was removed from the pocket wall. Mineral specimens, in general, are seldom available from here, let alone big showy specimens like this. Excellent and uncommon material that would make a great addition to any Quartz suite or a collection of French minerals.
From the collection of the long time, beloved, well-known French field collector, Paul Zerfass (Collection #1355). Zerfass built this worldwide collection over nearly 50 years, many of which were personally collected. A biography featuring specimens from his collection (along with his face on the cover) is in the May - June 2017 issue of French mineral magazine, Le Règne Minéral.