Fluorite (gemmy ''phantom'' crystals) with Muscovite and Quartz

Item Description

The famous Yaogangxian Mine in China has been producing world-class mineral specimens for a couple decades. This small cabinet piece features several sharp, rather gemmy, cubes of Fluorite with a wonderful mixture of purple and blue hues measuring up to 1.5 cm on edge, which show defined "phantom" color zoning when backlit. The Fluorites are associated with beige colored radial groups of Muscovite which are sitting on gemmy colorless Quartz matrix. A couple of flattened, steel-grey colored orthorhombic crystals of Arsenopyrite can be seen on the back of the piece for a nice touch. No major damage that I can see, and the piece sits beautifully on its own without the aid of a base or clay. A very attractive piece from this iconic locality that would make a stellar addition to any Fluorite suite or a collection of either Chinese minerals, or specifically pieces from the Yaogangxian Mine. Valued $1,500.
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.