Some 60 miles from Upington, in the North Western Cape Province of South Africa, our scouts found a cluster of white crystals showing just one or two inches above ground. They dug a little deeper and a deep violet part became visible. The formation was one continuous vein, extending for many feet, parallel with the surface. Everybody was excited about the very deep violet color.

I had to fly in a hurry some 500 miles to Upington and then drive immediately to the place. By then, they brought to the site a small back hoe and everybody in the team was busy digging, next to the machine. We took away rocks from both sides of the vein, only to find out that the violet color was not larger or deeper than one to two inches. We went deeper again but it did not get better. After the thin violet line, nothing but white.

We smashed a small portion of the reef and took it apart so that we could inspect the violet crystals. It was Amethyst. The beautiful, deep violet color was there all right. But so it was also a continuous intrusion of brown magma. There were many brown specks in every Amethyst crystal. No good for faceting. Not even for tumbling. A total loss.

We took away a portion, large enough to make a few paper weights / sugar bowls as per pictures. I will also give you a letter that you will never see such a formation again. Nobody will spend one single cent to mine there. The specimens are big, heavy and most impressive. It is most suitable to be displayed on top of the desk of a big and successful businessman or in the middle of the long table in the board room of a corporation.

We offer for sale three such specimens. And no more.