Just contemplate amethyst's stunningly gorgeous purple colour, mixed with cheap price ranges over a good variety of sizes and forms. Amethyst is such an attractive crystal form, the ancients assumed the amethyst to be a valuable stone worthy of gracing royalty. The tradition of noble purple persists even today.
Modern findings of sizeable amethyst deposits in Russia and Brazil have increased availability and kept pricing in really affordable levels for even fine grades of amethyst. Amethyst is popular in every type of jewelry and is particularly appealing to folks who were born in Feb, since amethyst is February's birthstone. Especially favored are amethyst rings and amethyst necklaces, although other kinds of amethyst jewelry abound. Examples, ranging from small clusters of crystals up to a whole geode are highly popular to both collectors and as uniquely natural decor accents.
Plenty of the planet's best amethyst crystals are harvested from geodes without regard for their last use. Geodes are sizeable natural pockets of crystals inside larger pieces of hollow stone. A geode can hold anywhere from 1 or 2 ounces to hundreds or thousands of pounds of crystals. The following couple of paragraphs will help you in understanding how geodes come to be and how they get to you.
Mother Nature's Part Just about all amethyst geodes started life when a volcano erupted. As the lava flowed to the surface, gas pockets were entombed in the solidified lava, usually in a kind of volcanic rock called basalt. Deep below the solidified basalt, Mother Nature continued to maintain a really hot molten lava structure. From time to time, super-hot fluids would rise from the molten lava area and find their way to the gas pockets thru small gaps and cracks in the basalt. These liquids carried with them the mineral elements to build an attractive crystal.
Over millions of years, Mother Nature would generally do many cycles of this super-hot, mineral carrying liquids inundation process. Dependent on the precise mineral composition of the liquids at various times, many colors of crystals and indeed different mineral crystals might be formed. Fairly often, the quartz that forms in a geode could include large amounts of clear or milky white quartz in addition to the purple amethyst. Less frequently, entirely different kinds of crystals can be made on top or inserted in the quartz most frequently this takes the shape of interesting, accenting crystals of calcite. Customarily the calcite crystals are clear or white, but on occasion they seem to be a really enticing hue of pink.
Where on Earth Are the Geodes Found? In theory, geodes can be found anywhere on earth where volcanos contributed to shaping the earth's crust. Volcanos are critical mountain range builders, and most existing sources of geodes are in or near mountains. For amethyst, some of the most important deposits are found in South America. A huge area in southern Brazil contains sizeable basalt structures, many of which contain geodes of variable qualities. Brazil is easily the biggest exporter of amethyst geodes by volume. Across the border in Uruguay, a much smaller area contains important deposits of some of the world's very best colored amethyst geodes. Also close by, in eastern Bolivia, there are a few mines that contain amethyst deposits that include cavities with enormous crystals. It is unreal to extract these massive crystals in complete geodes owing to the giant quantities of rock involved, but from time to time clusters or individual crystals extracted from those structures make their way to the United States.
So How Did Man Remove the Geodes? Extracting geodes is a well refined mining process. Though the process involves heavy hardware and explosives to reach geode making areas in the basalt, all of the main work involves a big dose of manual labor. The geodes are first exposed through mining efforts. The basalt is removed showing the form of a geode in the floor, wall or ceiling of the mine. The next step is to examine the inside of the geode to ascertain if the crystals are of high enough price to pay for the manual effort required to remove the geode. This is most often done by cutting an inconspicuous hole in the geode and inserting a small light and viewing gadget. That resembles a flexible periscope.
If the crystal is a standard colour like milky white quartz, the geode will be bypassed and regularly demolished in subsequent mining efforts. If the crystal is amethyst of a good colour, then the geode will be manually chipped out of the basalt a little at a time. This process can take days of labor for a single geode. Once the geode has been removed from the base basalt, it is then carried to a workshop some distance from the mine. This usually involves using a wheel barrow to manually remove it from the mine itself, and then a wagon, narrow gauge rail car, or truck to carry the piece to the workshop.
At the workshop any remaining basalt is removed and the geode is cut open to display the crystals. Often geodes are of a broadly columnar shape. These will be cut vertically along the longest portion of the geode. These pieces are then prepared as a form known generally as a cathedral. The geode at this early stage has an exterior surface that contains many , many pointed lumps of the base level of the quartz. These are dangerous to both the workers and to the final consumer. To bypass the attendant danger of cuts, the geode is coated in a thin layer of cement to cover the sharp points. The cement is then routinely painted with a flat black color to improve the aesthetics of the purple amethyst crystals. If the piece is to be displayed as a cathedral there will probably also be a little fill of cement at the bottom of the piece to form a level structure on which to stand the piece. Any remaining sharp quartz points along the entrance to the geode are then polished to a smooth surface for both appearance and safety reasons.
Sometimes, the crystals will be of such top quality the geodes will be displayed on steel stands. This is often the situation with geodes from Uruguay, which is world renowned for the phenomenally rich deep colour of its amethyst.
How Do the Geodes Get Delivered? Geodes are heavy. A single cathedral that stands 40 inches or so tall, will sometimes weigh over 100 pounds. They are also exposed to breakage. Remember the geode is a comparatively thin outside of quartz with an enormous empty space within. This structure makes the geode vulnerable to breaking, especially when exposed to the shipping process... Which often feels like it draws all of the world's 800 pound apes.
To defend the geodes, they're individually packed within wooden crates. Crating costs are relatively cheap in Brazil where hundreds are made for a single shipment to the States. These crates are built for a single use and shipped strapped together to combine the strength of all of the crates. In the United States, crating costs of $200-300 for a 40 inch geode. It is quite common for a galley to have a made to order crate for a single geode to the final client. This does not include the price of shipping the piece, which varies a lot based on distance and the delivery type on the receiving end where residential costs more than commercial, and white glove delivery inside of the office or home is more expensive than curbside delivery in your drive.
How To Select the Best Amethyst? The short form of this is based solely on superbly good looks! Prime quality amethyst makes for extremely attractive jewellery pieces, tiny specimens and small to massive geodes that are acceptable for use as beautiful accents in your office or home decor. The dramatic good looks make a choice for only exceedingly high quality amethyst a great decision. Brazilian geodes of the highest qualities, have great colour and little ordinary coloured quartz in their bases. These geodes are great selections if you want to add a dramatic piece to your decor. Exceedingly high quality Uruguayan geodes make even more dramatic choices when they can be sourced. These are often shown on polished steel stands. Uruguayan amethyst has some of the finest color of any amethyst found on earth.
Modern findings of sizeable amethyst deposits in Russia and Brazil have increased availability and kept pricing in really affordable levels for even fine grades of amethyst. Amethyst is popular in every type of jewelry and is particularly appealing to folks who were born in Feb, since amethyst is February's birthstone. Especially favored are amethyst rings and amethyst necklaces, although other kinds of amethyst jewelry abound. Examples, ranging from small clusters of crystals up to a whole geode are highly popular to both collectors and as uniquely natural decor accents.
Plenty of the planet's best amethyst crystals are harvested from geodes without regard for their last use. Geodes are sizeable natural pockets of crystals inside larger pieces of hollow stone. A geode can hold anywhere from 1 or 2 ounces to hundreds or thousands of pounds of crystals. The following couple of paragraphs will help you in understanding how geodes come to be and how they get to you.
Mother Nature's Part Just about all amethyst geodes started life when a volcano erupted. As the lava flowed to the surface, gas pockets were entombed in the solidified lava, usually in a kind of volcanic rock called basalt. Deep below the solidified basalt, Mother Nature continued to maintain a really hot molten lava structure. From time to time, super-hot fluids would rise from the molten lava area and find their way to the gas pockets thru small gaps and cracks in the basalt. These liquids carried with them the mineral elements to build an attractive crystal.
Over millions of years, Mother Nature would generally do many cycles of this super-hot, mineral carrying liquids inundation process. Dependent on the precise mineral composition of the liquids at various times, many colors of crystals and indeed different mineral crystals might be formed. Fairly often, the quartz that forms in a geode could include large amounts of clear or milky white quartz in addition to the purple amethyst. Less frequently, entirely different kinds of crystals can be made on top or inserted in the quartz most frequently this takes the shape of interesting, accenting crystals of calcite. Customarily the calcite crystals are clear or white, but on occasion they seem to be a really enticing hue of pink.
Where on Earth Are the Geodes Found? In theory, geodes can be found anywhere on earth where volcanos contributed to shaping the earth's crust. Volcanos are critical mountain range builders, and most existing sources of geodes are in or near mountains. For amethyst, some of the most important deposits are found in South America. A huge area in southern Brazil contains sizeable basalt structures, many of which contain geodes of variable qualities. Brazil is easily the biggest exporter of amethyst geodes by volume. Across the border in Uruguay, a much smaller area contains important deposits of some of the world's very best colored amethyst geodes. Also close by, in eastern Bolivia, there are a few mines that contain amethyst deposits that include cavities with enormous crystals. It is unreal to extract these massive crystals in complete geodes owing to the giant quantities of rock involved, but from time to time clusters or individual crystals extracted from those structures make their way to the United States.
So How Did Man Remove the Geodes? Extracting geodes is a well refined mining process. Though the process involves heavy hardware and explosives to reach geode making areas in the basalt, all of the main work involves a big dose of manual labor. The geodes are first exposed through mining efforts. The basalt is removed showing the form of a geode in the floor, wall or ceiling of the mine. The next step is to examine the inside of the geode to ascertain if the crystals are of high enough price to pay for the manual effort required to remove the geode. This is most often done by cutting an inconspicuous hole in the geode and inserting a small light and viewing gadget. That resembles a flexible periscope.
If the crystal is a standard colour like milky white quartz, the geode will be bypassed and regularly demolished in subsequent mining efforts. If the crystal is amethyst of a good colour, then the geode will be manually chipped out of the basalt a little at a time. This process can take days of labor for a single geode. Once the geode has been removed from the base basalt, it is then carried to a workshop some distance from the mine. This usually involves using a wheel barrow to manually remove it from the mine itself, and then a wagon, narrow gauge rail car, or truck to carry the piece to the workshop.
At the workshop any remaining basalt is removed and the geode is cut open to display the crystals. Often geodes are of a broadly columnar shape. These will be cut vertically along the longest portion of the geode. These pieces are then prepared as a form known generally as a cathedral. The geode at this early stage has an exterior surface that contains many , many pointed lumps of the base level of the quartz. These are dangerous to both the workers and to the final consumer. To bypass the attendant danger of cuts, the geode is coated in a thin layer of cement to cover the sharp points. The cement is then routinely painted with a flat black color to improve the aesthetics of the purple amethyst crystals. If the piece is to be displayed as a cathedral there will probably also be a little fill of cement at the bottom of the piece to form a level structure on which to stand the piece. Any remaining sharp quartz points along the entrance to the geode are then polished to a smooth surface for both appearance and safety reasons.
Sometimes, the crystals will be of such top quality the geodes will be displayed on steel stands. This is often the situation with geodes from Uruguay, which is world renowned for the phenomenally rich deep colour of its amethyst.
How Do the Geodes Get Delivered? Geodes are heavy. A single cathedral that stands 40 inches or so tall, will sometimes weigh over 100 pounds. They are also exposed to breakage. Remember the geode is a comparatively thin outside of quartz with an enormous empty space within. This structure makes the geode vulnerable to breaking, especially when exposed to the shipping process... Which often feels like it draws all of the world's 800 pound apes.
To defend the geodes, they're individually packed within wooden crates. Crating costs are relatively cheap in Brazil where hundreds are made for a single shipment to the States. These crates are built for a single use and shipped strapped together to combine the strength of all of the crates. In the United States, crating costs of $200-300 for a 40 inch geode. It is quite common for a galley to have a made to order crate for a single geode to the final client. This does not include the price of shipping the piece, which varies a lot based on distance and the delivery type on the receiving end where residential costs more than commercial, and white glove delivery inside of the office or home is more expensive than curbside delivery in your drive.
How To Select the Best Amethyst? The short form of this is based solely on superbly good looks! Prime quality amethyst makes for extremely attractive jewellery pieces, tiny specimens and small to massive geodes that are acceptable for use as beautiful accents in your office or home decor. The dramatic good looks make a choice for only exceedingly high quality amethyst a great decision. Brazilian geodes of the highest qualities, have great colour and little ordinary coloured quartz in their bases. These geodes are great selections if you want to add a dramatic piece to your decor. Exceedingly high quality Uruguayan geodes make even more dramatic choices when they can be sourced. These are often shown on polished steel stands. Uruguayan amethyst has some of the finest color of any amethyst found on earth.
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We invite you to view our existing offerings in our Touchstone Galleries in Santa Fe, Scottsdale, Sedona and Taos, or online at touchstone-gallery.net Sedona location is at present offering a stunning Uruguayan amethyst geode for sale.. This geode weighs in at over 1,400 pounds and is a deep, rich purple. Touchstone also offers a good range of amethyst cathedrals and amethyst jewelry for sale at its locations in New Mexico and Arizona.
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