MANGO QUARTZ SPECIMENS

Mango quartz is a variety of quartz characterized by long, slender crystals that terminate in a bright yellow tip that looks just like the flesh of a mango. Specimens of mango quartz are absolutely stunning: they are chaotic jumbles of crystals jutting off in all directions, each tipped with a bright orange-yellow point. This material is fairly new to the mineralogical world and testing of the yellow, fibrous inclusions is thus far inconclusive, though the top contenders are humboldtine and halloysite. Both minerals tend to react negatively to oxalic acid and make cleaning and conclusive analysis quite difficult, but halloysite seems to be the current favorite as the included species. In addition to its perplexing composition, this mineral has quite a tumultuous history, steeped in mysterious rumors of secret mines, lost treasure, and Ronald Reagan's war on drugs. This is absolutely a must-have collector's item!