Empress of Uruguay

The Empress of Uruguay is the world's largest amethyst geode, standing at a height of 3.27 meters. It is open along its length and weighs 2.5 tons in its current state. It was discovered in 2007 in the Artigas department, Uruguay by the Uruguayan mining company Le Stage Minerals. Its estimated value is US $190,000, although it is not for sale. Australia have just found the largest weighing in at 22 tons found in WA..

Background
The geode was found in a mine near the city of Artigas, known for its spectacular geodes and amethysts. It was extracted from the surrounding basalt in a complicated process that took three months. The top part was cut to allow for a view of the interior and the amethyst crystals that were on the top were sold. The decision was made to leave the majority of the geode intact for exhibition purposes. It is part of a travelling exhibition and has been on display at the American Museum of Natural History, among other places.

The piece is currently on public display at The Crystal Caves museum located in Atherton, a small town in the state of Queensland, Australia. In 2011, while it was on display at the Crystal Caves Museum, the geode was damaged when a tourist secretly removed a piece the size of a tennis ball.