Fluorite (multi-color crystals with a ''cast'' after Benstonite) (ex Dave Bergman Collection)

Item Description

The Fluorites from Southern Illinois are some of the most iconic examples of the species, and now that the entire Cave-In-Rock District is closed down, you'll never see more of them. This piece is a striking example from the famous Minerva No. 1 Mine featuring a group of sharp, well-formed, lustrous, gemmy cubic crystals that are primarily golden in color, but you can see the edges show gorgeous purple and blue zoning, which look better in sunlight, like most Fluorites from this area. The largest crystal at the front of the piece measures 3.7 cm on edge. If you look closely, you can see several tiny metallic golden crystals of Chalcopyrite which are suspended inside the main Fluorite crystal. For me, the most interesting aspect of the piece is that it features a somewhat spherical "cast" where a radial group of cream colored Benstonite once existed, and only a tiny bit remains. Presumably some kind of solution entered the pocket and dissolved the Benstonite away, leaving this unique spherical shape in the Fluorite crystal. This specific phenomenon is exceedingly rare in my experience with Southern Illinois Fluorites, so if you're a fan of this material, or Fluorites in general, don't miss out on this really attractive and unusual piece of this beloved material. Valued at $2,000 retail. From the collection of legendary Colorado miner, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired, but mined all over Colorado and was most famously the former the foreman and primary person in charge of recovering specimens at the famous Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado during the late 1970s. He is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. See Dave's photo mining at the Sweet Home on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".