Brandberg Amethyst is a very special variety of Amethyst that can be found exclusively in Namibia. They are an incredible mixture of very light to very deep purple, often with Smoky and Clear Quartz mixed in, often forming in the most striking skeletal growths and sometimes even with flecks of red and silver Hematite mixed in!

They take their name from the Brandberg Mountain, which is the highest peak in the African country, located in the north west of the Namib Desert, which gives Namibia it's name. The Brandberg Mountain itself is sacred to the locals, and it's name in both Afrikaans and German translates to 'Fire Mountain', as when the sun sets on the western slope it appears to set the granite mountain on fire with it's fiery deep orange glow. Brandberg Mountain is also home to over 43,000 rock art paintings, including the famous 'White Lady of Brandberg'. Due to it's status, mining on the Brandberg Mountain itself is actually illegal, so all mining activities for these crystals tends to take place in the Goboboseb Mountains, 35km to the west of Brandberg itself. 

So the Brandberg Amethyst (and accompanying Brandberg Quartz) is actually mined a comparatively short distance away (considering Brandberg itself covers an area of around 650sq km!), however partly because the location is so close and well known, and partly because Brandberg is a lot easier to pronounce than Goboboseb, the crystals have kept this name.

The volcanic basalt in which the Brandberg Amethyst is found dates back around 132-135 million years. This actually makes them slightly older than the famous Amethyst producing state of Rio Grande du Sol in Brazil, whose deposits were formed during a period of massive volcanic activity around 130 million years ago.

Unlike what is generally regarded as a 'traditional' Amethyst cluster, like those seen from Brazil, Brandberg Amethyst rarely form in clusters. They will often form in single crystals, and where they do form in clusters, each crystal is defined, with it's own unique appearance. Sceptre forms, phantoms, zoning, skeletal forms and even fluid inclusions (commonly labelled as enhydros) can all be characteristics of Brandberg Amethyst. The red 'sparkles' that can be found in some crystals are often labelled as Lepidocrocite, but there are no scientifically proven examples of Lepidocrocite actually growing in Quartz. In every specimen that's been tested, both of Brandberg and other Amethyst, it's been proven to be Hematite instead.

Find our collection of Brandberg crystals here.

In terms of it's metaphysical healing properties, Brandberg Amethyst takes the properties of Amethyst to a whole new level. Although it is primarily associated with the Crown and Third Eye Chakras, it can in fact be used to activate all the chakras. Brandberg Amethyst is an excellent aid for meditation - the perfect combination of Amethyst to induce a calm, deep meditative state mixed with Smoky Quartz helps to keep you grounded.