We're featuring Lavender quartz from El Peñón, Santander, Colombia today. These tabular faden quartz with parallel and elestial growth habits are so interesting that I sent some to get tested by a mineralogist. It resembled the faint lavender color of pink lithium but mostly coated on the surface.
The quartz had a few ilmenite crystals with some clay coating, which are likely a mixture of illite and montmorillonite/chlorite group species. Montmorillonite also has a variety of colors and pale pink is one of them. The faint lavender color is likely due to some iron substitution coupled with the effects of natural radiation. 
So no lithium tested in these quartz pieces but definitely interesting to learn the science behind it. Below are some additional photos and the entire mineral testing report.
A selection of pieces will be available during a live sale on Instagram on March 30, 2023 at 9pm EST.
