Spherical Amethyst

Item Description

A wonderful example of these unique and eye-catching unique "Grape Amethyst" specimens from Sulawesi, Indonesia. These fairly beautiful and fairly new specimens are some of the most unique pieces of Quartz you'll see from anywhere. They are truly different from any other example of Quartz ever found, which is really saying something for such a common species. These specimens are actually micro-crystallized on the surface, so this is not Chalcedony or Agate, this is purple crystallized Quartz = Amethyst. The pieces were analyzed by Dr. George Rossman at CalTech and determined to be Amethyst. More info on page 101-102 of the Journal of Gemmology https://gem-a.com/jog-volume-36-issue-2 . As you can see, these specimens got their nickname due to the fact that they are purple and genuinely resemble bunches of grapes. Very little of this seems to be out there now, and perhaps it is drying up. If you missed out on these when they first came out, this is a great opportunity to pick up a really attractive specimen for a great piece. This piece is filled with lovely, translucent, semi-resinous "balls" or spheroids measuring up to about 3 mm which are tightly intergrown and are visible literally on every side of the specimen. I love the gentle sparkling drusy luster on this one. This piece is what I would call a near "floater", as it's almost crystallized 100% of the way around. The quality is good on all sides, as there is VERY little damage. There is a lot of Quartz in the world, but these pieces are truly unique and would make a superb addition to any Quartz suite.