Mango quartz
Posted by Michael Eastwood on 22nd Oct 2021
Mango quartz is a variety of quartz that is characterized by long,
slender crystals that terminate in a bright yellow tip that looks just
like the flesh of a mango. This material is fairly new to the
mineralogical world and testing of the yellow, fibrous inclusions is
thus far inconclusive, though the top contenders are humboldtine and
halloysite. Mango quartz crystals are collected from a roadside outcrop
near the town of Cabiche, Colombia.
This mineral has quite the tumultuous history steeped in mystery, rumors of secret mines and lost treasure.
Mango
quartz was originally discovered in Colombia in the 1980's by Victor
Caranza who held-back most of the mined material for his personal
collection. Hearsay suggests that after he had extracted what he wanted,
he filled in the mine shaft so he could corner the market. When the USA
started to crack-down on South American drug lords, Caranza was swept
up in the raids. Since Caranza's incarceration and eventual death in
2013, mango quartz had disappeared from the market. To this day,
Caranza's private collection is lost to the world.
It wasn't
until 2017 when local farmers stumbled upon the road that lead to the
mango quartz mine, where they uncovered a new cavity filled with this
mineral. Since then mango quartz has taken the mineral world by storm.
To view my collection go to