Amethysts from Las Vigas in Veracruz, Mexico are a true challenge to recover from the earth. Not only does the process begin with a six-hour mule ride in one direction, the path takes miners to the steep volcanic valleys of Cerro Piedra Parada. Rife with quartz veins, the miners follow the veins to where they widen out to crystal-lined pockets of amethyst. The finest Las Vigas amethyst specimens feature slender, elongated prismatic crystals with colorless bases and transition to lavender or lilac towards their terminations. This example is an astonishing Veracruz piece with a large number of amethyst crystal points rising above clusters of smaller, clear quartz and its white-ish rock matrix.They are well dispersed along the plate, and their varying sizes and direction allow their forms to be appreciated individually as well as a whole. Beautiful, sizeable, this amethyst plate embodies the idealized characteristics of this beloved and sought after locale.