Quartz with Hedenbergite inclusions (pictured in the Mineralogical Record)

Item Description

A big showy specimen of these classic and iconic Quartz specimen from Mega Horio (Megalo Horio) in the Aegean Sea. This piece features a beautiful cluster of well-formed, prismatic, hexagonal Quartz crystals measuring up to about 11 cm long, which are filled with grey-green inclusions of Hedenbergite on the lower portions of the crystals, and they transition into a lighter yellow and even a slight reddish-orange color on the tips, due to what I believe to be iron oxide on the surface. After Laurium, the small island of Serifos (where iron has been mined since Roman times) is probably the most renowned mineral locality in Greece, especially for these world-class specimens. A big showy piece like this is not terribly common, especially with robust well-formed crystals. Virtually all of the Quartz crystals are pristine, but there is a bit of etching on some of the terminations, which gives the piece unique character that you don't often seen in these pieces. Lastly, the piece has an attached base on the bottom for easy display.
This piece is from the collection of Chris and Agatha Galas, and was pictured on page 105 in the 2017 issue of the Mineralogical Record featuring Mineral Collections in California.