Calcite (with manganese inclusions)

Item Description

Exceptional example from this famous find of circa-2000, many of which we bought at the time, directly from China. We found a last few in our back warehouse recently, of these spectacular gem crystals. When they first hit the market, people who collected English calcite almost fainted in shock! These sharply formed, water clear and transparent Calcite crystals have ridiculously good clean luster and set a new standard for individual crystal quality in calcite at the time, when they traded for their weight in gold even when freshly mined - 20 years ago. There are a few tiny dings of no consequence, and one small vertical contact on the back side of the crystal but otherwise there is no significant rubbing or chatter of any kind on the edges. Both the giant crystal and the little gem sidecar display criss-crossing internal fractures that help bounce light around and make these look brighter than most calcites. Faint spots and patterns of manganese within, give contrast to the clarity and so help you visualize how gem clean they really are. If we had this out years ago when they were fresh, it would have been expensive even at that time. Today, such crystals routinely are priced, if you can find one at shows, over $2000. They remain one of the most famous calcite pockets of China's early years.