Amethyst

Amethyst from Piedra Parada, Tatatila Municipality, Veracruz, Mexico, measuring 68 × 54 × 26 mm and weighing 40 grams. The specimen shows an elongated purple Quartz crystal rising from a pale supporting group. That contrast between the principal crystal and the lower material gives the specimen an engaging sense of height within a compact overall size.

Amethyst is the purple variety of Quartz, so it shares Quartz's silica composition and crystal structure while having its own colour identity. Quartz can grow where silica-bearing fluids have space to deposit successive layers of mineral. The elongated form visible here makes that crystal architecture an immediate part of the specimen's appeal, alongside the more familiar interest in colour.

Piedra Parada is the specific locality, within Tatatila Municipality in Veracruz. Keeping those details together distinguishes this piece from Amethyst from other Mexican occurrences or other countries. The 68 mm longest dimension and relatively shallow 26 mm depth provide a useful sense of scale, complementing the different views of the principal crystal and its supporting group. The provenance names the David Vince and Ruth Coulsell collections. Those connections add a collecting history to a specimen with an immediately recognisable visual character. It is a pleasing example of how a familiar gem variety can remain a thoroughly individual mineral specimen, with its growth form, precise locality and former collections all contributing to the story.