A guide to every specimen sold here, including hardness scale, rarity, colour variations and more.
Rainbow Amethyst -
Rainbow amethyst (trade name rather than an official mineral name) is a a natural type of amethyst mainly found around Artigas, Uruguay.
It is known for it’s unusual mix of purple, grey, black, green, white and sometimes reddish colour.
It forms inside ancient volcanic rock over million of years, as mineral-rich fluids slowly fill cavities and create layers of agate, quartz, amethyst and other minerals.
The tiny sparkling crystals on the surface are called “druzy” or “sugar” crystals, which give it that glittery appearance.
On the MOHs hardness scale it is about a 7 because the main mineral is quartz. So it’s quite hard and reasonably durable, but it can still chip or fracture, especially because Rainbow Amethyst often contains natural cracks and tiny crystals.
Clean it gently with water, mild soap and a soft brush or cloth. Avoid harsh chemicals, steam cleaners, very hot water and sudden temperature changes, It’s also best to keep it out of prolonged direct sunlight as the colour can gradually fade.
Rainbow Amethyst value mainly depend on the size, colour, druzy quality, formation and condition. Large colourful natural pieces are generally more valuable. Red, strong green and pink are more of the rarer/ more sought after colours.
Smokey Quartz -
Smokey quartz (trade name) is a brown variety of quartz. It’s colour mainly develops when natural radiation interacts with tiny amounts of aluminium within the quartz over geological time.
The colour can range from very pale champagne/grey-brown to deep chocolate brown and nearly black. The darkest variety is sometimes called Mormon.
Smokey quartz forms in many geological environments, particularly in granite and pegmatites, where hot mineral-rich fluids allow quartz crystals to grow in cavities and cracks.
Famous localities included Brazil, Switzerland, Scotland, Madagascar and Spain.
It is a 7/10 on the MOHs hardness scale. This means Smokey quartz is fairly hard and can resist everyday scratching better than softer minerals but it can still chip or break.
To care for Smokey quartz, clean it with mild soap, water and a soft cloth. Avoid rash chemicals, extreme heat and sudden temperature changes. Sunlight can affect the colour of some Smokey quartz.
Smokey Quartz is generally affordable and fairly common, but exceptional crystals can be valuable. Price depends mainly n size, clarity, shape, locality and overall aesthetics.
Spessartine Garnet -
Spessartine garnet from Tongbei, Fujian Province, China, is well known for its bright orange to reddish-orange crystals, often found growing alongside smoky quartz & feldspar.
The crystals typically form as dodecahedrons or trapezohedrons and are known for their glassy lustre, strong colour & occasional transparency. The deposit is associated with granite-related pegmatites and miarolitic cavities, where mineral-rich fluids allow the garnets to develop well-defined crystal faces.
Other minerals found alongside the spessartine include microcline, smokey quartz, muscovite and, less commonly, topaz and helvite.
Tongbei material is particularly popular with mineral collectors because of the contrast between the vivid orange garnets & the darker smoky quartz or pale feldspar matrix. Although many crystals are relatively small, well-formed specimens with good lustre, strong colour & minimal damage are highly desirable. Some of the clearer material is also suitable for faceting, producing attractive orange gemstones.
The locality became internationally known in the late 1990s & has since developed a strong reputation as an important source of collectible spessartine specimens.
For cleaning a spessartine specimen, stick to a soft brush & lukewarm water. Avoid experimenting with chemicals & soaking it for long periods, especially when you have garnet, smoky quartz and feldspar together.