An
amethystine chalcedony, Damsonite occurs in a variety of patterns
and colors. Found only at a single undisclosed locality in
central Arizona, Damsonite occurs in veins and massive blocks
up to 1 meter thick and is enclosed in weathered sedimentary
host rock.
The
purple Damsonite is a tough microcrystalline aggregate with
a wax-like appearance that takes on a glass-like luster when
polished. About half the material within the deposit is a
darker purple, with the rest occurring in lighter shades.
Some of the Damsonite is veined by thin seams of reddish-brown,
which may be either an iron oxidation product such as hematite
or goethite, or an iron-stained type of chalcedony such as
jasper. The chalcedony does not tend to fracture along these
veins or along other color boundaries.
Damsonite
is easily identified by standard gemological testing procedures.
Its gemological properties are generally found to correspond
closely to those of both chalcedony and amethyst.
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