FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[VC71]

I recently picked this up at an estate sale. Can someone please tell me what it is and if it has any value? It's approximately 12 inches high and 10 inches wide. Thanks in advance for any information.

[Bob Harman]

So what you have is either a true geode or geode like structure composed of the purple quartz variety known as amethyst.

While this forum does not give valuations, in general, yours looks to be a lower end example, unless it happens to be from a known unusual locality.

These examples come from a wide number of worldwide locations. So it seems to me easier to say where it is probably not from, rather than where it might be from.
Its appearance suggests that it is not from Brazil or Uruguay, While I cannot be sure, it also doesn't look like most Mexican geodes or those from Morocco. But it still could be an unusual variant from any of the above localities.
Other than that, maybe from some western US locality or another worldwide site. Bob

[VC71]

[alfredo]

On the positive side, the outer rind on yours looks natural. Most of the ones that come to market from Brazil are painted green on the outside and have cement in cracks, etc. So I'll give yours some extra points for that.

[SteveB]

Except the first photo seems as if its been painted dark green on the outer left with clean on the right and a masking line down the side. I do agree its natural though (ie nature created it) so its more desirable for that alone over the man-made stuff coming from China. Certainly a nice piece, maybe someone intended it to be a vase or desk lamp. Can’t see why it hasn’t been sliced lengthways down the middle, unless its clear there is no space between the crystal further down. Perhaps its base shows concrete infill?