Cuarzo Ahumado
Cuarzo is a mineral with formula SiO₂, in the Silicatos [Tectosilicatos (Grupo Cuarzo)] group. This specimen comes from Wushan Spessartine Mine, Tongbei, Yunxiao Co., Zhangzhou, Fujian, China and joined the Terrium collection in 2002.
Description
Single smoky quartz crystal with scattered, very lustrous orange spessartine garnets.
About Cuarzo
These smoky quartz crystals with bright spessartine garnets are typical of the Tongbei district.
About the locality
The Tongbei Mine (Wushan Spessartine Mine) has not produced for years; it now lies within a national park, and collecting any mineral material there is illegal. These pieces began to appear on the market in the late 1990s–early 2000s, but material currently available comes from old stocks (as in this case), and specimens with sharp garnets on dark, doubly terminated smoky crystals are increasingly difficult to find. That has doubled and even tripled their market value.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0263
- Composition
- SiO₂
- Name
- Cuarzo
- Variety
- Ahumado
- Group
- Silicatos [Tectosilicatos (Grupo Cuarzo)]
- Category
- Estélites
- Matrix
- Feldespato
- Associations
- Granate Espesartina
- Mine
- Wushan Spessartine Mine
- District / Municipality
- Tongbei, Yunxiao Co.
- Province
- Zhangzhou
- Region
- Fujian
- Country
- China
- Size (cm)
- 4.5 x 2.5 x 2
- Weight
- 31.4 g
- Acquired
- 2002
- Ex-collection
- Sergio Petetrich
- Etymology
- From German "Quarz", of uncertain origin; "spessartine" from the German district of Spessart, where it was first described.
- Quality
- Muy buena
- Value trend
- Al alza
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