Fluorapatite (rare color for Erongo)

Item Description

While many people associate the Erongo Region with Beryl and Fluorite, there are some lesser known localities that produce beautiful Apatite crystals, including some intensely colored examples. This piece features a large (5.6 cm), crystal of Fluorapatite with a strong blue color, sitting atop matrix. Now I have to point out that both ends of the Apatite crystal are broken, but there are a few smooth, lustrous prism faces that can be seen. What really matters here is the size of the crystal itself and that saturated blue color. Overall I would have to say this is largely a reference specimen, but if you have a suite of either Namibian minerals (or specifically Erongo material), or a collection of worldwide Apatites, this is something that I'll be you don't have, especially with a crystal this size.
From the collection Dr. Robert ("Rob") Bowell, a geochemist and adjunct professor in Geochemistry and Mineralogy at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Rob has a background in applied geology in tropical and deeply weathered terrains, he also has done mining consulting in the fields of due diligence, financial and technical audits, process chemistry, environmental geochemistry, environmental engineering and mineralogy.