6.1" Sunshine Cactus Quartz Crystal Cluster - South Africa

Cactus quartz, often also referred to as spirit quartz, is a variety of quartz characterized by second-generation druzy crystals growing on the faces of larger quartz crystals. The small second-generation crystals point away from the prism and their orientation is not related to the crystallographic orientation of the central crystal. Cactus quartz is currently only known from the Magaliesberg Mountains region of South Africa, and comes in a variety of shades ranging from white to deep purple to orange colorations. The deep purple amethyst points are the rarest and most coveted by collectors.

Quartz is the name given to silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust. Quartz crystals generally grow in silica-rich environments--usually igneous rocks or hydrothermal environments like geothermal waters--at temperatures between 100°C and 450°C, and usually under very high pressure. In either case, crystals will precipitate as temperatures cool, just as ice gradually forms when water freezes. Quartz veins are formed when open fissures are filled with hot water during the closing stages of mountain formation: these veins can be hundreds of millions of years old.