Quartz var: Ametrine (natural bi-color with a RARE ''c'' face)

Item Description

Ametrine is a Quartz variety that gets its name from purple AMEthyst and yellow ciTRINE. This is rare and unique naturally bi-colored material. Without a doubt, the finest representations are found at the Anahi Mine in the eastern jungle of Bolivia. I've mentioned this before, but it should be noted that specimens labeled as coming from Brazil are false because the Bolivian material is sometimes sent to Brazil for processing / polishing, and then they slap a "Made in Brazil" sticker on them, but everything is found in Bolivia. Ametrine shows distinct separate individually colored sections, which are best seen when these crystals are sliced along the "c" axis, showing an alternating "radiation" pattern of purple and yellow triangles. This piece is an attractive, colorful, gemmy etched crystal of Ametrine showing a great mixture of purple and yellow color zones, which can create a fuchsia hue when blended together and viewed at a certain angle. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this piece is that features a flat basal "c" face on the termination, which is VERY RARE for Quartz. It should be noted that the yellow portions of this piece are NATURAL (UNHEATED) Citrine, which is incredibly rare in nature, as most of the commercial material on the market is created by heating Amethyst to create the yellow color. A very cool crystal of this classic material. The piece weighs 287.0 grams. For reference, these crystals are sometimes priced by their gemstone or gem carving value as rough, even at a low yield of 150 carats, some rough dealers would have this priced at over $1,000 retail.
From the collection of Armon McPherson, a retired physicist, now living in New Mexico. Armon received his PhD from North Carolina State University in 1985, and worked at the laser laboratory at the University of Illinois at Circle Center. In the summer of 1997, Armon moved to the Argonne National Laboratory where he worked at the Advanced Photon Source, then the world’s largest synchrotron facility dedicated as an x-ray source. In 2001, he was asked to join a team at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque to conduct laser research for DARPA. Finally, staying within Sandia, he transferred to the Z Facility, the world’s most powerful x-ray facility. He retired in the spring of 2017. Armon's introduction to mineral collecting came in the 1980s during graduate school when he attended his first mineral show. He took up the hobby of faceting gems, and focused his early collection on gem crystals, and later transitioned into collecting non-gem species. We are proud to offer specimens from his worldwide mineral collection here for you.