Orange River Rainbow Quartz Cluster Natural Floater Specimen - 46mm, 35g

Locality - Orange River, South Africa
Size – 46 x 29 x 23mm
Weight – 35g

This natural Orange River quartz point displays excellent twin crystal and double terminated formation and is a 'floater' specimen free of matrix. Throughout one side, a small but vivid rainbow can be seen in good lighting (as photographed). 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.