Fluorite (large crystal with Dolomite inclusions) on Quartz

Item Description

Here we have a beautiful Fluorite display specimen from the famous Shangbao Mine. The large composite group of gemmy Fluorite is predominantly octahedral in habit, but does show defined cubic faces. The color is a soft green hue, but slight purple highlights can be seen here and there. The largest individual crystal in the group measures 7.5 cm, which is quite large for the locality. If you look closely, you can see small white "spots" just below the surface of the Fluorite. With a bit of backlighting and a loupe in hand, you can see that these "spots" are actually tiny single "floater" rhombs of beautiful white Dolomite suspended insde the Fluorite! A few of the crystals show a golden-brown hue, which is most likely the result of oxidation. This is one of the VERY few pieces of this material that I've seen from Shangbao. The matrix is a plate of massive white Quartz, but you can see there are several well-formed, sharp, lustrous CRYSTALS of Quartz on the lower edge of the piece for a really nice accent. There is no damage that I can see on the display side, but the piece is contacted around the periphery where it was removed from the pocket wall. A really unique and impressive cabinet sized specimen of this wonderful material from this impressive locality.