Auction Win: Smoky Amethyst with Hematite (Sceptered)

Locality: Goboboseb Mountains, Brandberg Area, Dâures Constituency, Erongo Region, Namibia

Size: Small Cabinet - 6 × 6.7 × 3 cm

A quartz cluster with a large smoky amethyst scepter, two smaller terminations colored by iron, and some tabby amethyst crystals as well. There are hematite inclusions all over the piece. The phantoms and wispy coloring in the large scepter are beautiful.
Value: $150

Amethyst is a violet to purple variety of quartz (SiO2) whose name comes from the Greek "a-methystos," meaning "not drunk," as ancient people believed it warded off drunkenness. In everyday life, it is widely recognized as a popular gemstone used in jewelry and decorative objects.

The Goboboseb Mountains in the Brandberg Area of Namibia’s Erongo Region are part of the 132–135 million-year-old Etendeka Group, geologically sourced from the Messum Complex and known for volcanic basalts and quartz latites. This locality is the true source of the world-renowned “Brandberg quartz” and amethyst crystals, often found in scepter form, mined primarily at the Violet Crown Mine near Tafelkop. Collectors prize specimens from here for their exceptional clarity, vibrant violet amethyst, and distinctive quartz morphology. Today, it remains a globally significant mining locality for high-quality quartz and amethyst specimens.