Fluorite

Item Description

The famed Naica Mine is one of the most celebrated mineral localities, not only in Mexico, but the world. This mine is not only a producer of fine collector quality mineral specimens, but it's also the home of the famous "Cave of Swords" (sometimes called the Cave of the Crystals) which lies nearly 1,000 feet underground and hosts giant Gypsum (Selenite) crystals that measure nearly 40 feet in length! Outside of these amazing Gypsum crystals, Naica is famous for some of the most beautiful mineral specimens from any Mexican locality, including some iconic Fluorites. This specimen features incredibly well-formed, VERY gemmy, sharp, cuboctahedral crystals of Fluorite measuring up to 4.3 cm, which have an optic colorless beauty, which is not terribly common for Fluorite. Typically Fluorite crystals have some kind of color due to a chemical chromophore, but when you find crystals like this it actually means the crystals are quite pure in terms of chemical composition. The famous colorless Fluorites from Dalnegorsk, Russia are often referred to as "ice crystals", and I see no reason why the same nickname can't be applied here, though there is a very faint green hue that can be seen on the underside of the piece. The crystals are largely undamaged, save the underside of the periphery where the piece was removed from the pocket wall. Associated minerals include and a bit of Pyrite and Sphalerite on the bottom of the specimen.