Description
Detailed Description
A gorgeous specimen featuring sharp crystals that combine the classic Thunder Bay amethyst colours of medium-purple and vivd hematite-red. The lustre is so high that the specimen looks wet. This piece was found in the clay within a collapsed pocket – it was detached from the rock during the brecciation of the final formation phase, and re-crystallization textures are evident all over the underside. In excellent condition (a couple of tiny chips if you search for them) – absolutely top quality for Thunder Bay amethyst!
From the Tracy Kimmel collection, specifically from her superb quartz sub-collection. For the history of the piece, it was collected by David and Ian Nicklin, and their collection was sold years ago, jointly by me and my good friend David Joyce – see below and the linked article for all the background. As Tracy acquired this one from Dave rather than me, it will be one of those rare mineral specimens out in the world that is accompanied by labels from both David K. Joyce and McDougall Minerals!
And back to the specimen itself, this is a real beauty!
About Tracy Kimmel (click here)
About These Thunder Bay Amethysts
Amethyst from the Thunder Bay District is among the finest in North America, and specimens grace museums and private collections worldwide. The specimens in this group are truly special – they are the top quality Thunder Bay amethyst. Excellent-quality Thunder Bay amethyst is very hard to obtain, primarily because decent-sized vugs collapsed during late-stage formation and post-formation – Mother Nature has damaged the pocket contents before the first human eyes even see them. These specimens are from the collection of David Nicklin, representing the best of all specimens he and his son Ian mined at the Diamond Willow Mine over a period of over 30 years. They are absolutely remarkable for their lustre, colours and lack of damage compared to the vast majority of Thunder Bay amethysts mined over the years. This is a unique opportunity to acquire a Thunder Bay amethyst from a special lot – we don’t expect to be able to see a lot like this again in the future.
An article is on the website: Thunder Bay Amethyst (click here). It features lots of photos, including an image sequence of the mining process used by by David and Ian Nicklin to recover amethyst specimens at the Diamond Willow Mine.
