1.3" Shangaan Amethyst Crystal with Hematite - Chibuku Mine, Zimbabwe

Shangaan amethyst is the trade name for beautiful, smoky amethyst mined by the Shangaan tribal groups of southeastern Africa. It comes from the Chibuku mine located in Zimbabwe near the border with Mozambique. Shangaan amethyst is a relatively new find, just appearing on the commercial market in the last few years.

These distinctive crystals are often very dark in color and contain small, red, flake-like hematite inclusions peppered throughout. These crystals frequently form individual scepters and occasionally include enhydros--small bubbles of water--trapped within. You can look for an enhydro in your crystal by backlighting the specimen and rotating the crystal, looking for the movement of air bubbles in water within.