Grape Amethyst, Mamuju area, Sulawesi Barat Province, Sulawesi, Indonesia

"Grape" amethyst hit the mineral scene a few years ago and made quite the splash with its bold colours and candy-like form. Sometimes mislabeled as grape "agate", these are actually tiny spheres of crystalline quartz (with the purplish variety called amethyst), whereas agate would be composed of cryptocrystalline quartz. There is high demand for this material but quality pieces have become very scarce the past few years. Mining of new specimens has slowed to a trickle as the easy-to-find "grapes" have already been extracted. I have secured several nice pieces with pleasing purple-pink hues and great luster that were being held back by a supplier. I expect this to be the last year I can offer specimens of this quality so don't wait if you have been looking for a good example. From Mamuju area, Sulawesi Barat Province, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Dimensions: 9 x 15 cm