Gorgeous, 5.9" Tall, Polished Amazonite Bookends - Madagascar

This is an absolutely gorgeous pair of bookends made from a large mass of amazonite, collected from Madagascar. One side has been cut flat and polished to a glossy finish, while the opposite side has been left rough. The dark brown-black crystals that are mixed in with the amazonite are smoky quartz. The middle of the bookends have been lined with felt and the bottoms have round rubber "feet" to prevent scratching of the display surface.

Each bookend varies slightly in size, with one measuring 5.9" tall, 4.4" wide and 3.3" thick while the other is 5.5" tall, 4.1" wide and 3.2" thick. Together these bookends weigh just under 8.5 lbs.

Amazonite is a green variety of microcline feldspar that is the state mineral of Colorado. It has recently received a lot of attention for its prominence on the reality show “Prospectors”, which follows several groups of Colorado mineral miners. In fact, most of our amazonite is sourced from some of the prospectors on the show. High-quality crystals are found at several locations in Colorado, often in vugs associated with smoky quartz.

Its name comes from the Amazon River, where the mineral was originally thought to be found, though is now doubtful to occur in the region. Its distinct blue-green color was originally thought to be caused by copper content, but it is actually due to very small quantities of lead present in the mineral. The lead is locked away in the crystal structure so it poses no health risk from handling.

Smoky quartz is a grey-brown to black variety of quartz. This common name is derived from the appearance of smoke within the quartz crystal. Depending on the location and the chemicals present during formation, smoky quartz can appear opaque black, but it is typically translucent to some extent. It is believed that the quartz gains this color from a combination of natural irradiation and aluminum impurities.
SOLD
DETAILS
SPECIES
Microcline var. Amazonite & Quartz var. Smoky
LOCATION
Madagascar
SIZE
5.9 x 4.4", up to 3.3" thick
CATEGORY
ITEM
#129872