Fluorite on Calcite (near ''floater'' specimen)

Item Description

The distinctive Fluorite specimens from the famous Shangbao Mine in China will go down as some of the most classic examples of the species from any locality in the entire county. Here we have a beautiful cabinet display specimen from featuring attractive bi-colored crystals measuring up to 3.4 cm, which show gorgeous green and purple zoning. They are quite gemmy when backlit, and you can see directly into the center, as many of them are virtually water clear! The crystals are predominantly octahedral in shape, but they show defined square cubic faces on the corners. The Fluorites are sitting on a thin matrix comprising scalenohedral Calcite crystals, on all sides. There are a few tiny Pyrite crystals on the piece for a nice touch. There is no major damage that I can see and the piece is crystallized on the front and back, with only a few tiny points of attachment, so it's nearly a complete "floater".   This is old material mined in the late 1990s.  Valued $1,800.