Quartz/Amethyst, with moveable water bubble, ex Key Coll.

Item Description

A fantastically lustrous gem quartz crystal showing complex growth zoning and features, including bands of purple amethyst color that are typical for the location, but that is just the start... This crystal has phenomenal luster like glass, and is transparent to translucent in the upper 2/3. It features a large, dramatic, obvious moving water bubble trapped inside a hollow system of cavities from the time these crystals formed tens of millions of years ago (called, an enhydro). MINDAT suggests these formations are in the 130-million year age range, and the quartz was probably formed during that process or not too long after, leaving the water trapped inside as a relic of past eras. This large crystal has a particularly easy-to-see bubble, in a big trough inside, as compared to the usual tiny bubbles in cracks you can sometimes barely discern or that prevent the bubble from moving around. In this case, if you turn it around in your hand, the bubble, approx 5 mm, goes around a triangular network of interior paths within the clear termination, like one of those children's games where you have to get the ball to the center of the rocking maze. It is shockingly beautiful in person, with a luster and clarity hard to convey in photos. Lastly, this was in the famous, probably best-ever-assembled collection of Charlie Key, the legendary African dealer and collector. He sold this collection to us with partners, around 2007. Ex. Charlie Key; Marshall Sussman; Rick Hottel quartz collections. A stunning specimen, much better in person. This does come with existing base.