The gem quality rose quartz from Oliva de Plasencia, Cáceres, Spain

To the N and NW of Oliva de Plasencia there are some pegmatite veins, with large quartz nuclei, enclosed in a two-mica granite.The presence of rose quartz in this zone was known at least since the beginning of the 1950s.One of the veins,situated approximately 1 km NNE of the Laguna del Estanco, a bit more than 2 km north of Oliva de Plasencia, within the Alba 1ª concession,
was intermittently exploited by the company Minera Balmaseda. The best quality, with homogenous color, can be utilized for making jewelry. Occasionally some fragments are sufficiently transparent so that gems up to 10 carats can be faceted.