David K. Joyce

Quartz, var. Amethyst, Diamond Willow Mine, Thunder Bay Region, Ontario

Amethyst from the Thunder Bay District is among the finest in North America, and specimens grace museums and private collections worldwide. The specimens in this group are truly special - they are the top quality Thunder Bay amethyst. Excellent quality Thunder Bay amethyst is very hard to obtain, primarily because decent sized vugs collapsed post formation, ie, Mother Nature has damaged the pocket contents before the first human eyes even see them. These specimens are from the collection of David Nicklin, representing the best of all specimens he and his son Ian mined at the Diamond Willow Mine over a period of over 30 years. They are absolutely remarkable for their lustre, colours and lack of damage compared to the vast majority of Thunder Bay amethysts mined over the years. This is a unique opportunity to acquire a Thunder Bay amethyst from a special lot! We don't expect that there will be another lot like this again in the future.

A new article is on this website in the "Articles" Section: Thunder Bay Amethyst (click here) It features lots of photos, including an image sequence of the mining process used by by David and Ian Nicklin to recover amethyst specimens at the Diamond Willow Mine.

Important Note: This lot of Thunder Bay amethyst specimens is being offered jointly with my good friend and collecting partner Raymond McDougall (www.mcdougallminerals.com). Different specimens are posted on each of our websites. I hope you will enjoy seeing the ones on his site too at: http://www.mcdougallminerals.com/Thunder-Bay-Amethyst.html.

All prices in Canadian dollars. For payment in US$, deduct 18% or multiply by 0.82.

Click on any of the following thumbnails to view a larger image of the specimen.

Item #24292 Quartz, var. Amethyst 6.7x8.1x5.1 cm Largest Crystal Size: 5mm $125.00 Diamond Willow Mine McTavish Township, Thunder Bay District Ontario, Canada An odd specimen from Thunder Bay! This specimen appears to be an epimorph, square in appearance. Might not be but looks like that! Cool piece!	Item #24297 Quartz, var. Amethyst 6.8x3.4x3.8 cm Largest Crystal Size: 5mm $75.00 Diamond Willow Mine McTavish Township, Thunder Bay District Ontario, Canada An interesting and attractive cluster of amethyst with one side turned up. Looks great!	Item #24301 Quartz, var. Amethyst 10.3x8.2x3.1 cm Largest Crystal Size: 20mm $90.00 Diamond Willow Mine McTavish Township, Thunder Bay District Ontario, Canada A different specimen of very light amethyst that shows a druse of very small crystals on most of the front of the specimen and some relatively large crystals at the back. Very little hematite present in the crystals. A striking and different specimen from "Thunder Bay".	Item #26812 Quartz, var. Amethyst 9.4x7.8x1.6 cm Largest Crystal Size: 5mm $65.00 Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada An attractive plate of medium purple amethyst with a light stripe of colourless quartz up the left of centre. The lighter strip is composed of tiny colourless crystals that have formed after the amethyst. Attractive!
Item #26855 Quartz, var. Amethyst 11.5x8.5x8.0 cm Largest Crystal Size: 20mm $75.00 Thunder Bay Amethyst Mine Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada A very displayable specimen of amethyst from the famous Thunder Bay area. It is a nicely open seam across the top that is lined with amethyst points and in the center is an usual prismatic amethyst crystal and I have highlighted the prism faces in the photo. A good one!