Minerals: Amethyst
Locality: Amatitlán, Eduardo Neri Municipality, Guerrero, Mexico
Dimensions: 73mm x 13mm x 19mm
Weight: 22.4g

This Guerrero amethyst is quite the character! The main crystal has grown as a single point, with some etching around the base where it was likely once attached to matrix, but a secondary parallel growth has also developed, producing a distinct bowtie formation.

One half of that bowtie sits against the main crystal while the other extends freely below it, giving the specimen an almost rocket like silhouette. It creates an unusual silhouette where the secondary growth is effectively double terminated even though the main crystal itself isn’t.

There’s also a large contact imprint on the reverse where another crystal once grew alongside it, giving a tangible clue to how the specimen developed within the pocket.

The upper half is beautifully gemmy with excellent clarity and a nearly colourless termination, while the lower section becomes cloudier and much more deeply saturated. That unusual secondary growth is really the defining feature here and makes it unlike anything else in this Guerrero lot.

Guerrero amethyst is one of the great classic amethyst localities, and one of the most distinctive expressions of amethyst there is. When we talk about a “classic” locality in the mineral world, we refer to specimens that have a long history, are instantly recognisable and have distinctive aesthetic, and material that collectors have actively sought out for a long time. Other examples include amethyst from Goboboseb in Namibia, Veracruz in Mexico, Thunder Bay in Canada and Four Peaks in Arizona, which are all highly collectible and recognisable in their own right.

Guerrero has a distinctive habit. The crystals form as long, tapered points that feature rich, concentrated colour that can form in concentrated phantoms, even when crystals feature strong transparency. They also frequently feature parallel growth, giving them a very recognisable silhouette and adding extra detail to appreciate.

The history of Guerrero amethyst is fascinating. Mining was most active throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s, there's never really been a single mine. The amethyst occurs throughout a large area around Amatitlán, where multiple small veins and pockets were worked through shallow cuts and hand dug workings. Miners would follow one vein until it stopped producing, then move on to search for another pocket.

That also means Guerrero crystals aren't strictly uniform, and there are beautiful variation of colour, zoning, transparency and crystal form. Material from one pocket can be rather different from another, while still being unmistakably Guerrero.

By the early 2000s material became much harder to access, and mining in Guerrero has also been heavily affected by cartel activity and the increasing danger of working in the region. That combination has made good old Guerrero material increasingly difficult to source today.

This particular parcel has its own wonderful history. The specimens had been sitting untouched in a garage for close to 50 years and were offered to us still containing the original dirt and clay from mining. We received them exactly like that and have cleaned every piece ourselves.

It’s incredibly exciting to be able to offer genuine old Guerrero amethyst in smaller, accessible specimens. These have all the history and locality character that make Guerrero so desirable, without the price tags attached to the large museum scale examples for which the locality is famous.