Fluorite

Item Description

A classic, older (1970s era of mining) specimen from Naica featuring sharp, well-formed, colorless, GEMMY, crystals of Fluorite measuring up to 2.3 cm, associated with Calcite and Pyrite. The Fluorites are primarily octahedral in habit, but if you look closely, you can see the edges of the octahedra have thin dodecahedral modifications, and small cubic faces on the corners. Looking closely, there are unusual "ripple"-like patterns on the cubic faces in what appears to be a golden-brown colored oxide of some kind(?). The colorless quality is a sign of chemical purity in Fluorite, as the colors seen are due to impurities. I looked closely, and it appears that every crystal is undamaged. A choice display specimen of this well known material, that also looks great when viewed up close.
From the collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired, but among other things, he was the foreman and primary person in charge of recovering specimens at the famous Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado during the late 1970s. He is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. See Dave's photo mining at the Sweet Home on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".