Calcite (LARGE ''butterfly'' twin)

Item Description

An incredibly impressive, large, showy "butterfly"-twinned Calcite specimen from the Leiping Mine, with lustrous, striated faces and colors ranging from a soft golden hue to a silvery tone with virtually colorless/white areas as well. The piece is complete all around, save the base where it was removed from the pocket wall. The upper portions of the twin feature large robust trigonal terminations, while the lower section of the piece is loaded with dozens of vitreous compressed crystals stacked on top of one another. When backlit, the piece shows good internal translucency, and slight "phantom"-esque zoning. A truly magnificent big display specimen of this now fairly hard to find material. Leiping Calcites were much more common on the market 15+ years ago, and they have all but dried up, but even a piece like this would have been considered a superb specimen weighed against most others at the time they were coming out. This is a hefty specimen, weighing in at a whopping 1,671 grams (3 pounds, 11 ounces), so please note that there will be an additional shipping charge. If you have any questions about shipping charges, please feel free to contact us before bidding. If you collect Calcites, Chinese minerals, large cabinet sized specimens, or if you have a certain affinity for twins, this is a fantastic piece to add to your collection.
Valued $4,500.