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This smaller quartz
crystal was given to me by a vendor at my second Tucson show. Like the
larger crystal on the first page, this one comes from the Brazilian
locality at Diamantina. Some call this form of thin,
doubly-terminated quartz crystal a laser wand. It is quite
clear except for one cloudy area at the larger termination, but the
view is spoiled by intense patterning and a very faint dusting
of a black powder that is embedded into its surface. It measures just
about 4" or 10 cm in length.
This interesting little
rutile twin came my way at a gem and mineral show in Columbus, Ohio.
It does not exceed 2" (5 cm) in width, to give an idea of scale.
Though one cannot see it in this picture, there is a fine line denoting
the twinning plane that can be seen from certain angles. It shows very
little damage.
This is the first
sphene specimen that I had seen at a show. I love the stuff because of
its incredibly high dispersion and refractive index and the fact that
almost no gem dealers carry it in faceted stones. The close-up shot
shows the best crystal, likely 0.8 (or 2 cm) long, and its inevitable
twinning plane.
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