Quartz var: Amethyst / Smoky (scepter) (New Find!)

Item Description

Here we have a beautiful Amethyst / Smoky Quartz scepter from a new find at the Chibuku Mine, which is near the town of Chiredzi in south-east Zimbabwe, close to the Mozambique border. We picked this piece up from a good friend at the Tucson Show who informed us that not only is this a new locality, but it's actually named after a local sorghum beer in the style of traditional African beer. The locality is producing some gorgeous Quartz specimens, often with Amethyst and Smoky Quartz hues, and excellent crystallizations that are reminiscent of the famous pieces from Erongo, Namibia. We've seen some really fine quality scepters from this mine, and we hope that there will be more to come. This piece is a sharp, lustrous, well-formed, gemmy, scepter habit crystal with rich purple and smoky hues on the top, which transition into an almost silvery/colorless color on the "stem" portion of the specimen. When backlit, you can see the top of the crystal is nearly water-clear in areas, and the lower portion of the crystal has tiny blood-red colored inclusions of iron oxide (likely Hematite), another similarity to the Erongo material. Additionally, there are minor "window" or "Fenster"-habit faces that can be seen on the crystal. The piece is in excellent condition, with only a few tiny Wilbers on the termination, but complete all around. If you love Quartz crystals, gem crystals, scepters or you just like new and exciting specimens from recent discoveries, don't pass this one up.