Amethyst cluster, deep-violet centre — Brazil, 404 g

Description

This single-piece Amethyst cluster shows a dense aggregation of many small, sharply faceted purple crystals with glossy, reflective faces. Colour is strongest in a deep violet to nearly black centre, grading to lighter lavender–purple toward the margins. The piece has an elongated outline and irregular, rough outer edges. The specimen is cut on the base and sits to the dimensions 8 × 7 × 6 cm, with a weight of 404 g. Faces on the crystals catch and reflect light, and the cluster is composed of numerous small points rather than a few large crystals. Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz (SiO2); quartz commonly forms crystals in cavities, veins and geodes. This example comes from Brazil and is supplied as a cut-base cluster.