Hedenbergite quartz point with reverse scepter

Hedenbergite quartz point with reverse scepterLocale: HuangGangLiang mining district, Inner Mongolia, China Approx point length: 2. 5" Approx weight: 32g These quartz points are from HuangGangLiang, and commonly called Mongolian or Inner Mongolian quartz. When the primary inclusion is hedenbergite, enough to give the quartz a greenish tint, it is more appropriately called hedenbergite quartz. In this specimen, hedenbergite inclusions produce a lovely mint green hue in the top of the point that

Locale: HuangGangLiang mining district, Inner Mongolia, China

Approx point length: 2.5"

Approx weight: 32g

These quartz points are from HuangGangLiang, and commonly called Mongolian or Inner Mongolian quartz. When the primary inclusion is hedenbergite, enough to give the quartz a greenish tint, it is more appropriately called hedenbergite quartz. In this specimen, hedenbergite inclusions produce a lovely mint green hue in the top of the point that fades in a gradient to a more translucent colorless at the base.

This isn't your typically shiny quartz crystal; it has a frosted luster with a sheen effect, producing a ghostly appearance. This point has excellent form with a reverse scepter tip, meaning the tip has not grown larger than the rest of the crystal, but is stepped down and smaller than the main crystal.

The point is striped with thin angular dark and white lines. The white is thin layers of calcite, which will fluoresce under 365nm UV light. Looking closely, the dark lines are composed of spheres that appear a dark olive green color and almost metallic luster with radial growth. I suspect it could be epidote but admit even with magnification my eyes aren’t good enough to tell—email me if you know about this material, I’d love to learn more!