QUARTZ WITH HEMATITE

ABOUT THE SPECIMEN

Very large and three-dimensional cluster of super clear quartz crystals with extremely sharp hematite phantoms visible inside. This one is substantial in comparison to others from these finds in size, both overall and in size of individual crystals. Contacting is present in some larger crystals (seen almost ubiquitously in these specimens) and the backside of the specimen was unfortunately sawed when extracting, yet it still comes across very nice.

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Karur District sits within the Southern Granulite Terrane, a Neoarchean to Neoproterozoic metamorphic complex in southern India, with the region's pegmatites and hydrothermal veins intruding granulite-facies gneisses and charnockites formed approximately 2.5 Ga. Quartz specimens from the Kattumunnur Mines display sharp hematite phantoms - internal growth stages where iron oxide accumulated on earlier crystal faces before being overgrown by clear quartz. Crystals typically reach 4-6 cm as single terminated prisms with glassy transparency, showing dense red microcrystalline hematite concentrated on specific faces creating vivid phantoms, occasionally accompanied by silvery metallic specular hematite. These specimens began reaching Western markets around 2006, with notable finds in the early 2020s producing particularly well-defined phantom zones. What distinguishes Karur material is the clarity of phantom preservation and color intensity; the hematite creates a schiller effect when light passes through the crystal at certain angles. The mines also produced amethyst scepters with hematite inclusions during the same period. Production remains sporadic and limited compared to India's Deccan Trap zeolite quarries, making quality specimens with complete, undamaged phantoms relatively scarce in the collector market.