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

Item Description

The Huanggang Deposit has given collectors a wide array of Fluorites in a brief period of time. Colors range from green to pink to purple and even colorless! The colorless "ice" crystals from this locality are similar to the finest from places like Dal'negorsk, Russia and Naica, Mexico. This piece features a group of sharp, WATER CLEAR, very well-formed, colorless crystals of Fluorite which are predominantly octahedral in habit with small cubic modifications measuring up to 4.5 cm. Minor attached yellow colored crystals of Calcite and a tiny bit of matrix can be seen on the base of the piece, but for the most part, this is just a pure specimen of GEM quality Fluorite. The octahedral faces of the Fluorites have a frosted/matte luster, but if you peer through the tiny cubic faces, you can see they are "windows" to the WATER CLEAR interior of the crystals. The piece is nearly damage free, as the front looks to be undamaged, but there is some interrupted growth or possible etching on the back of the Fluorites, so the piece is not 100% pristine.. Great quality, aesthetics, and form make this a desirable and worthwhile small cabinet of this beautiful material from this impressive contemporary locality. The retail price on this piece is $2,200. 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.