Ferberite with Fluorite (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

A classic and a staple from the Yaogangxian Mine. The Ferberite crystals from this locality are some of the most distinctive, eye-catching and highest quality examples from anywhere in the world. This particular piece features good quality, sharp, lustrous, tabular, jet-black crystal of Ferberite which plays host to a 1.1 cm cubic group of very gemmy, pale blue crystals of Fluorite with associated Muscovite on the reverse side. There are a couple of additional Ferberites on the back as well, but they are contacted and incomplete. The main Ferberite is cleaved on one edge, but it's in great conditional everywhere else, including the unique "stepped" termination, which is not at all contacted, though it does have a rather unusual almost "etched" effect to it. The piece displays wonderfully and is a lovely example from this famous mine. Valued at $750 in the inventory. Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/labels.asp?colid=671&page=1 ) or on Wikipedia.