Quartz from Chibuku Mine, Zimbabwe

Quartz from Chibuku Mine, Chiredzi mining district, Chiredzi District, Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Yes, I realise in advance most of these specimens are either smoky Quartz, or Amethyst, but there is a reason I've labelled these simply as Quartz.

The Quartz from this mine is some of the most distorted, intergrown, mixed coloured material I've ever seen - it isn't uncommon to have bright purple amethyst in one area, grey smoky quartz in another, clear quartz in another, and iron staining, phantoms, etc alongside.

So, rather than making a bunch of listings that are basically all for the same material - these are Quartz! There may be various types of Quartz in each specimen, of course. 🙂

These may come in a box labelled 'shangaan amethyst'; this is a trade name (named after the indigenous peoples of the region) and therefore something I would generally prefer not to use. However, the boxes are good protection and make an easy display piece.

Our current stock includes:

• #1 - 48.9x26.4x14.8MM - a bright amethystine purple colour towards the top of the point, grey smoky quartz towards the base. Shows colour zoning when backlit.
• #2 - 49x35.2x21.7MM - primarily smoky, with a little matrix on one side. When backlit, purple areas are visible.
• #3 - 70.1x25.8x18.8MM - primarily smoky, with some purple colour when backlit. Lots of iron staining.
• #4 - 39.1x29.6x25.6MM - primarily Smoky Quartz with a hint of purple when backlit.
• #5 - 72.6x30x27.6MM - a light coloured purple Quartz with significant iron staining.
• #6 - 61x40.6x30.9MM - mostly smoky, with some purple tones when backlit. Iron stained, and possibly a clay inclusion.
• #7 - 54.3x29.3x27.1MM - mostly smoky, with some purple tones when backlit. Iron stained, still covered in some of the clay it was found in!
• #8 - 41.4x24.4x17.5MM - just a smoky, not a hint of amethyst anywhere in this piece!