Gold Crystal Stage - Mina Zapata, Santa Elena de Uairen, Bolívar, Venezuela
 
Curl of gold crystals on quartz matrix.
Gold on mother rock is the rarest form of the precious metal popular with collectors.
 
The gold crystals from Zapata, just outside Ikabaru, near Santa Elena de Uairen in Venezuela, are unique in their own way. They generally have sharp and faceted structures and are very pure, golden yellow in colour. The degree of purity is around 97% pure gold. Due to the recent civil unrest and economic collapse in Venezuela, this gold has become increasingly difficult to source.