Fluorite (GEM crystals) with Calcite (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

A gorgeous small cabinet sized specimen from Shangbao featuring a pair of WATER CLEAR, lustrous, sharp, crystals of soft purple and colorless Fluorite measuring up to 3.9 cm on edge. The Fluorites shows a beautiful combination of cubic and dodecahedral faces. The back / underside of the specimen is loaded with tiny grey trigonal Calcite crystals, and when you look through the Fluorite crystals, you can immediately see straight through to the Calcites underneath. Although the piece is crystallized on all sides, it's not a complete "floater" as there are two small points of attachment on the underside of the Fluorites where the piece was connected to the pocket wall at one point. Great quality older material dating back to the early 2000s. A fantastic eye-catching specimen to add to any Fluorite collection or suite of Chinese minerals. Valued at $2,500 in the inventory for size, quality and sheer visual beauty. 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/biographies_labels/smalestephen/ ) or on Wikipedia.