Orange River Quartz Cascading Cluster Natural Specimen - 54mm, 52g

Locality - Orange River, South Africa
Size – 53 x 32 x 29mm
Weight – 40g

This natural Orange River quartz cluster features exquisite cascading crystalline formation with many stepped, lustrously shiny crystals climbing up the main termination point and a few rainbows can be seen in the smoky-tinted, glassy clear interior. Despite some chips in the tips, this is an attractive specimen with much visual appeal. Quartz crystals from the Orange River region are highly regarded and sought after.

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.