Fluorite (GEM "phantom" cubes) on Quartz (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

A beautiful small cabinet combination specimen from this historic locality. Some of the best Fluorites ever found in China have come from this mine. A predominant, GEM quality, blue-purple colored, "phantom" cube of Fluorite measuring 1.1 cm on edge is accompanied by a few smaller Fluorites of equal quality sitting on a matrix of sharp, well-formed, lustrous, white / colorless Quartz crystals. Interestingly, there is a second generation of small "needle"-like Quartz crystals on the piece which have sprouted from the larger original Quartz prisms (no matrix to speak of). The main Fluorite is nearly WATER CLEAR in areas and completely damage free. Very showy and BETTER IN PERSON! Valued at $900. 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.