Fluorite (cuboctahedral) with Calcite and Quartz (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

A classic and a staple from the Shangbao Mine. The Fluorites from this locality are some of the most distinctive, eye-catching and highest quality examples from any Chinese locality. This particular piece hosts a beautiful, 3.3 cm, sharp, lustrous, very gemmy, "phantom" cube with octahedral modificatoins showing a mix of purple, blue and green hues (that change color in different lighting), that is wonderfully isolated and aesthetically perched atop a matrix comprising pale golden golden Calcite scalenohedra and white Quartz crystals. The Fluorite is damage free and so elegantly set atop the matrix. Overall, it's very difficult to obtain pieces of this quality with such excellent aesthetics and balance. The piece displays wonderfully and really stands out as a fine example from this famous mine. Valued at $2,400 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.