Quartz var. Amethyst on Rhodochrosite

From North Mine at Broken Hill in New South Wales, Australia, a real eye-catcher of botryoidal candy-pink Rhodochrosite interspersed with pale purple Amethyst crystals over a botryoidal matrix of Calcite, probably a form of Manganoan Calcite. The Rhodochrosite forms botryoidal hemispheres of between 7 and 10 mm, with the primary mound being 4 cm in diameter. Delicate lilac-purple Amethystine Quartz crystals are developed to 1.5 cm wide between the Rhodochrosite crystals. A colourful, very different and possibly quite unique specimen from the vast mineralogical suite known from Broken Hill.