Fluorite (bi-colored crystals)

Item Description

Here we have a wonderful example of the old famous Fluorites from the Gelbe Birke (Yellow Birch) Mine in Saxony. Mining at this locality started with silver production dating back to the 1700s, and then later transitioned into a producer of tin (Cassiterite) and fluorite. These specimens are notoriously difficult to find for sale on the market. This is a very nice small cabinet sized specimen of these highly sought after Fluorites, and certainly one of the best that we've had from this locality. The piece features many sharp, well-formed, gemmy octahedra with a beautiful green color at the center, highlighted by a selective deposition/overgrowth of stark purple Fluorite on the tips and edges of the crystals. The largest Fluorite measures 2.1 cm on edge. I love the bi-color effect created by the green and purple of the fluorite, and one rarely sees crystals like this from any world locality. Minor roughness in a few spots, but good quality overall. Valued at $1,200-$1,500 retail. From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#603 D), a well-known German collector all over Europe with worldwide contacts to dealers and collectors. He started collecting seriously at the age of 14 and his great and varied worldwide collection reached over 6000 pieces. He was very active mineralogically until shortly before his passing in 2020 at the age of 82. Considering his collection had a large number of pieces, it still had an unusually high standard of quality from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics as well as minerals of the Black Forest, where he spent much time collecting. His Black Forest and German subcollections went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. We at The Arkenstone have the privilege of offering the remainder of this great worldwide collection over the next two to three years through our various platforms.