This piece is known as “gitterquarz” or lattice quartz and comes from a small, recent find in Erongo, Namibia. The quartz aligned itself to the same directional planes as the lattice of the feldspar matrix, resulting in perfect epitaxial orientation along two axes. What’s unique about this piece (aside from the uniformity of the quartz) is that the center of the feldspar crystal dissolved away during the formation process, leaving in a hollow crystal. I have not seen this in any other pieces from this find. Schorl tourmaline crystals almost completely cover the surrounding areas of the feldspar and some needles are included in the quartz. A neat specimen, and a rare formation for quartz!

6.8 by 3.7 by 3.3 cm