Man's 'incredible' rare 2kg discovery in pile of outback dirt
While the discovery could make Patrick Gundersen a small fortune, he's decided it's so special he will keep it for himself.
An outback crystal hunter has made a discovery so special that he has deemed it far too valuable to sell on and instead the special find will kept in his own personal collection.
Patrick Gundersen was digging for treasure in the Hart's Range of the Northern Territory when he erupted in excitement, pulling out what initially looks like a rock, but is in fact a stunning elestial quartz.
The "incredible" 2kg find, according to Gundersen, could "easily be worth several thousand dollars" thanks to the striking rare formation and the size of it. But the rare gem enthusiast has vowed to keep it.
"I have never seen or found anything else quite like it," he told Yahoo News Australia. He described the rare gem as "completely unique" because it was capped with an amethyst tip.
What is elestial quartz?
According to Gundersen, elestial quartz is the name given to quartz crystals that have a "distinct secondary growth over them". They're characterised by prominent "blocks" of crystalline quartz which is often arranged in parallel patterns.
He explained that it has different names in different parts of the world. "In Brazil, where this type of Quartz is renowned, they call it “Jacare Quartz” meaning “Alligator Quartz” because it resembles the texture of Alligator skin," he said.
'Elestial crystals are quite rare to find in comparison to other Quartz formations and especially in Australia. It’s very rare to find them here."
Gundersen, who travels the country mining rare crystals, said the discovery was part of a three-week dig in the region. He added that he's never seen a crystal this size and with "such striking etchings along the sides of it and then tipped with a perfect amethyst crystal on top."
Couple hunting for rare treasure across Australia
It's not the first incredible discovery that Gundersen has made this year. The Queenslander, who lives in Cairns, travels across the country annually in search of treasure with his partner Kirsty. Last month, she revealed to Yahoo an epic 4kg amethyst found in a WA mine.
Now that summer is around the corner, the pair have made the voyage back to their East Coast home.
"It's coming into the summer months now so it's getting too hot in a lot of places to dig,' Gundersen explained. To get their precious find back home, he said "usually we pack everything up really carefully and bring them home in the truck with us."
And as for what's next, Gundersen said there is an underground mining project searching for giant smoky quartz crystals he intends to head to next.
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