Druzy White Spirit Quartz Cluster Specimen - 58mm, 38g

Locality - Kwandbele, South Africa
Size – 58 x 33 x 25mm
Weight – 38g

This white spirit quartz cluster has two distinct, sharply terminated, twin 'finger' points proudly sprouting out from the base of the specimen with a couple of smaller terminated crystals climbing up their sides. In one area, the sparkling white overgrowth has been removed to show the greyish inner crystalline structure. It is a snowy white colour throughout and has a frosty, druzy sparkle across the entire specimen, creating a beautiful effect when turned in good lighting.

Spirit quartz - also known as 'fairy', 'cactus' and 'pineapple' quartz - is formed when a large quartz crystal is encrusted by a secondary overgrowth of smaller crystals, creating a beautiful sparkling druzy appearance, though the tips of the original larger crystal can usually be seen as they often remain uncovered. It is a very unique crystal formation that occurs exclusively in South Africa. Varieties include white, smoky, golden limonite or 'citrine', iridescent 'solar' and amethyst spirit quartz.

Quartz is the most common mineral found on the surface of the Earth, occurring in virtually every locality. Pure crystals are colourless, transparent and hard, though many are coloured by natural processes such as irradiation or by the presence of certain elements within them. These coloured varieties include the popular gemstones amethyst, purple quartz, and citrine, yellow quartz. Some quartz crystals have unique inclusions of minerals that have grown within them, such as golden rutile, tourmaline or chlorite, and others may show silvery reflective internal veils and bright rainbows. Whilst the majority of quartz is created from molten magma that has cooled and crystallized, much quartz also chemically precipitates from hot hydrothermal veins. Well-formed crystals deep within the Earth can reach colossal sizes, with some measuring several meters in length and weighing hundreds of kilograms.