2 lbs Tangerine Hematoid Quartz with Amber Quartz (6 pcs) - Collector Minerals L308
This set belongs to the same family of oxidation-zone specimens that we have been presenting in this series, and in it the Hematoid Quartz in its Tangerine variety stands out strongly, that is, quartz crystals coated by a thin granular layer of limonite and goethite that gives them that warm and vibrant tangerine-orange and golden color, with a sugary texture and characteristic luster. To this coating is added, as the main attraction of the lot, an amber-honey and milky white quartz of notable transparency and vitreous luster, with color zoning, that in several pieces forms crystalline aggregates and carpets of great beauty. As an accessory mineral typical of this same oxidation association, wulfenite (lead molybdate, formula PbMoO4) may appear in microcrystals, although in this lot the leading role clearly falls on the tangerine and on the translucent quartz. All of this rests on a ferruginous gossan-type matrix in ochre-brown to dark-brown tones, which completes a very eye-catching presentation with strong chromatic contrast.
The lot consists of 6 pieces of varied size with a combined weight of 894 grams, a manageable and very showy set, ideal both for display in a showcase and for detailed study or for the lapidary who wants to take advantage of the translucent quartz. As spectacularly revealed by the photographs, and especially by the macro, the pieces offer great visual diversity: one of them shows a carpet of milky white and translucent amber-honey quartz with orange zoning, of intense vitreous luster, framed by the ferruginous crust and dotted with tangerine patches; others present the granular orange-golden coating covering much of the surface, with tips and druses of white quartz emerging between the crust; and some piece retains a more rustic and earthy character, with the dominant gossan matrix and veins of amber quartz emerging in the fractures. That variety makes the set read as a small collection in itself, with complementary pieces that show different faces of the same mineralogical phenomenon.
From the point of view of its formation, this specimen is an excellent geological document of a supergene paragenesis: first the quartz crystallized, giving rise to the milky white zones and to the attractive translucent amber-honey crystals with zoning; then, in the oxidation phase and circulation of iron-rich fluids, the layer of limonite and goethite that generates the tangerine tone and the gossan crust precipitated on the crystals and the matrix, in many cases respecting the original morphology of the quartz. That superposition of phases explains the play of colors and textures that is observed, and gives the piece a high educational value, by illustrating in a single specimen the primary crystallization of quartz and the later oxidizing alteration that coats and tints it.
Due to its warm color, the contrast between the orange of the tangerine and the luminous transparency of the amber and white quartz, the variety of textures and the overall size, this lot constitutes a very attractive opportunity for the collector looking for pieces with character, natural color and a visually complete oxidation mineralogy, and also for those who want raw material with translucent quartz in honey tones. It is a perfect selection both for mineralogical study and for prominent display in any collection.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Quantity: 6 natural pcs.
- Total weight: 2 lbs (894 g).
- Minerals: Tangerine Hematoid Quartz (limonite and goethite coating) with translucent zoned amber-honey and white quartz; accessory wulfenite; ferruginous matrix (gossan).
- Reference: 626 - Lot 308.
