Fluorite

Item Description

A gorgeous specimen of hot green fluorite with an unusually bright color, contrasted on white matrix of some kind of carbonate, probably calcite. This would be a wonderful fluorite from anywhere, but it happens to be from Madagascar, from a discovery made starting in the mid 2010s and continuing in a trickle to this day. Past finds here have produced huge plates of adjoined crystals, mostly masses of crystals, that were beautiful but not refined. Here, we have some new material coming out with separated and isolated crystals to 3 cm, starkly contrasted against the white. It is nearly pristine, with just a few small dings, but all major cubes are certainly intact. They literally look like glowing green Jolly Rancher candies! For my taste in aesthetics, and what I think is the dominant style of collecting aesthetics with contrasting matrix preferred if it exists at all in nature, this is my favorite yet for the Madagascar fluorites. Who knows what another year will bring, more of these or more of the previous style? Note strong fluorescence under UV. A fine specimen from material prepared and brought to market by Tomek Praszkier of Spirifer Minerals. Valued $5000-plus.

This specimen is part of the 2024 Dallas Mineral Collecting Symposium benefit auction, with proceeds benefiting Mineralogical Record, Rocks & Minerals, Tucson Gem and Mineral Society, and mindat.org. Thanks to all of our participants!

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