Fluorite (cubes on octahedrons) (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

The green Fluorites from this locality are some of the most attractive representations of the species from any Chinese locality. This attractive cabinet sized specimen features several large, sharp, lustrous, gemmy, "water green" colored stepped octahedral crystals of Fluorite measuring up to 5.6 cm across, which are beautifully highlighted by isolated sharp, gemmy cubes of Fluorite that are aesthetically placed in various spots, including on the tops of some of the octahedral pyramids! The cubes clearly formed in a later generation, but they are the same color and quality as the underlying octahedral groups. The piece is not only three dimensional and showy, but there is a selective deposition of sugary white Quartz that gives each crystal a distinction from one another and allows them to stand out to the eye. Overall, the specimens is in fanatastic condition, with only a few tiny imperfections that I can find with the naked eye. Additionally the back / underside of the piece is actually recrystallzied ("re-healed") where it was contacted at one point, but had the ability to finish growing, so you almost have no points of contact, save the base where it was removed on a very thin layer of matrix. A fantastic overall specimen of this now less common material on the market with superior size, quality and overall form. Valued at $2,000 in the inventory. Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/labels.asp?colid=671&page=1 ) or on Wikipedia.