Gorgeous, 11.9" Amethyst Geode with Calcite - Uruguay

This is a stunning deep purple amethyst geode with calcite, that was collected from the famous mines near Artigas, Uruguay. It measures 11.9 x 8.8 x 6.9" and weighs 26.8 lbs. It's filled with small, dark purple amethyst crystals and displays well on a flat surface. The face of the geode has been polished to a glossy finish.

We import our material directly from the mines in Artigas, Uruguay and it is much darker, higher quality material than you normally see for sale.

While Brazil is a much more prolific producer of amethyst, the amethyst mined near Artigas, Uruguay tends to be much darker with higher quality crystals. We import our material directly from the mines in Uruguay, allowing us to offer it at better retail prices than anyone else. We carry a large variety of geodes, amethyst clusters, and collector quality crystal formations.

Amethyst being mined in Uruguay from the hard volcanic rock.
Amethyst being mined in Uruguay from the hard volcanic rock.


Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO2) that owes its violet color to natural irradiation, iron impurities, and the presence of trace elements, resulting in complex crystal lattice substitutions. It is considered a semi-precious gemstone, and just two centuries ago was considered to have a value on par with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. The largest and best known amethyst deposits occur in southern Brazil and Uruguay, but many localities around the world produce an amazing variety of amethyst crystals and formations.



Calcite, CaCO3, is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate. The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Calcite crystals are trigonal-rhombohedral, though actual calcite rhombohedra are rare as natural crystals. However, they show a remarkable variety of habits including acute to obtuse rhombohedra, tabular forms, and prisms. Calcite exhibits several twinning types adding to the variety of observed forms. It may occur as fibrous, granular, lamellar, or compact. Cleavage is usually in three directions parallel to the rhombohedron form.

SOLD
DETAILS
SPECIES
Quartz var. Amethyst & Calcite
LOCATION
Artigas, Uruguay
SIZE
11.9 x 8.8 x 6.9", weighs just under 27 lbs
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#140523