Arkansas Enhydro (Water Bubble) Quartz Retail

Enhydro water bubble quartz is a true spectacle of nature. Being able to see gas bubbles move in solid rock that was formed millions (billions?) of years ago is hard to imagine but enjoyable to watch.

What is an Enhydro?  

Technically speaking, an enhydro is "a hollow nodule or geode of chalcedony containing water, sometimes in large amounts" per the The American Geological Institute’s Glossary of Geological Terms. As such, these crystals are actually not enhydros but more accurately referred to as "quartz with bubble fluid inclusion". However, enhydros is the term that most people call them and recognize so that's what I will go with.

These crystals formed millions of years ago (220-400 million years ago by some estimates) as the edges of the quartz formed faster than the center. As this happened, troughs were formed that trapped the water solution or other foreign matter. When these troughs were covered by more crystal growth, the captured water (sometimes salt water or other liquid) would "gas out" or cool and contract and a bubble would form in the liquid.
large enhydros

Inclusions

Since the crystals formed from the outside and moved inward, enhydros tend to have significantly more inclusions than most other quartz types. In the Quachita region or Arkansas, the most common inclusions are chlorite, pyrite, galena, mice, sandstone, clay, and occasionally cookeite. 

In some cases, the captured inclusion is not always obvious. We have found several enhydros that have the appearance of pyrite cubes but give off a distinct green color depending on the light. Galena we have found also comes in cubes, slivers, and irregular shapes that also makes identification somewhat difficult. We typically try to make our best guess at what the inclusion is based on comparing it with other "knowns". If it is cubic, black, and has no metalic sheen or glitter, we will tend to go with galena. If it does have some metallic sheen (particularly if golden in color), then we will call it pyrite. We have no dillusion that we are right in every case but think that our educated guesses are typically more correct than not. Sometimes we find Scepters and Tabby Crystals with Enhydros.

Digging Enhydros















 






Digging enhydros is back breaking work. Given the
remoteness of the location, wishes of the land-owner, and applicable state and local laws, we were only able to dig using hand tools. In some cases, we dug down in excess of 6 feet through rock and hard clay to find the rich veins that contained the best crystals. Upon completion of the dig, we then refilled all of the holes by hand to ensure that the land remained cosmetically pristine and any wayward animals (or humans) did not find themselves in a somewhat precarious situation at the bottom of a hole. We even spent some time filling in holes that other "thoughtless and inconsiderate" rockhounds had left open. Remember the boyscout motto, "leave nature better than the way you found it". Only by doing that will land-owners (and government agencies) continue to allow us to collect on their land.


The Stevie Wonder Pocket
Please forgive us if you find the name not politically correct. It is just the name that stuck after one of the miners found the first "major" bubble inclusion and shouted "Holy Crap. Even Stevie Wonder could see this bubble!!!!!". So what's the major difference between a "regular" bubble and a "Stevie Wonder" bubble? A "regular" bubble in an Enhydro is typically 1/16 of an inch or smaller (most probably closer to 1/32) and may move in a tract that is 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch long. For the "Stevie Wonder" crystals the bubbles were up to 3/8 of an inch in diameter and traveled up to 2 inches!!!!!!!! So how many of these have we found? Of the 200 or so large crystals (over 2 inches in diameter) that were found during our last mining operation, approximately 6 would fit in the "Stevie Wonder" class.
Stevie Wonder Water Inclusion

Enhydros for Sale

After setting aside some of the better rocks for our own collection (you can't be a mine owner and NOT have the best of everything to show off ;-) I will be putting Enhydros up for sale over the next few weeks so please keep checking back if you don't see anything you like. If there is a particular type of stone you need for your collection, send us an e-mail. We have everything from small double-terminated crystals that are indistinguishable from those found in Herkimer, New York  to the the 5+ pound mega-jumbo skeletal enhydros. If you want a Stevie Wonder crystal, we have one or two for sale as well (but be prepared to open your wallet real wide).
 
Arkansas Enhydro Quartz Crystals Retail


Enhydro1   Enhydro2   Enhydro3

Very Rare Beautiful Arkansas Enhydro Crystal With Carbon Bubble And
Record Keepers
 Here is a Beautiful Arkansas Enhydro Quartz Crystal. There are at least 2 Mobile Bubbles in this crystal that move almost 3/4 inch inside of this crystal. The Bubble you see in the above pictures is what makes this crystal so Special and So Rare. It is a Carbon Bubble and it is Highly Mobile. You won't have no problem at all seeing this Bubble or watch it Zip across the inside of this crystal.
The Carbon Bubble is about 1/8 inch wide which is big for Bubbles in Arkansas Enhydros. There is another bubble that is alittle smaller than 1/8 inch and it is Mobile and moves about 1/2 inch. There are also many Raised Record Keepers on this crystal to. Arkansas Enhydros this nice are Extremely hard to find and are very rare from Arkansas. This crystal is in Great Condition and it Displays wonderful.

This Crystal Measures 3 1/4 inches long , 2 inches wide and 3 inches tall. It weighs 7.1 ounces. Price $600.00

We accept Paypal and Credit Cards through Paypal. If Paying by Check or Money Order , please call or email me first to make sure the item is still in stock before you order. Just click on the Buy-Now button below and enter in Order # 301. Shipping is free in the US.  Thankyou

Disclaimer: We will do our absolute best to describe each piece in as much detail as we can. However, a picture is worth a thousand words. In cases where the description does not reflect the picture or if you are not sure if something is a ding or a natural face, please ask and make no assumptions. If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please let us know within 24 hours of receiving shipment so that we can provide you a Return Authorization number. Once you return the specimen in the same condition as we sent it to you, we will gladly refund the full purchase price plus shipping one way. This does not apply to Wholesale orders for which different terms and conditions were stated at time of order. We will do our best to keep this site updated but we make no guarantees that the crystals shown will still be available when you call. Choice specimens go fast and between the time you ask a question about a piece and are ready to order the piece, it may have already been sold to someone "with cash in hand".      

BACK TO HOME PAGE