Fluorite

Item Description

A beautiful and richly colored specimen of Fluorite from this regionally-known locality about 25 miles south of Grand Junction, Colorado. The distinctive Fluorites from Unaweep Canyon have a saturated green color, stronger than most green Fluorites you'll see from other localities. This piece features a layer of sparkling, gemmy green Fluorite associated with minor white Quartz, sitting atop a layer of massive light purple colored Amethyst, which is the most common association from this locality. Hard to find on the market today, and certainly worth picking up if you collect Fluorites, Colorado minerals or specimens from the United States.
This piece comes from the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures". For reference, Dave is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar.