Fluorite on Quartz

Item Description

From the 2014 discovery at the contemporary classic locality of Huanggang, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. We've seen a wide variety of Fluorites from this mine in a brief period of time, and these specimens are arguably the most interesting and distinctive. They're certainly unique, and that's saying something considering how many different habits and colors of Fluorites have come out of China in the last two decades. This piece hosts sharp, semi-lustrous, gemmy to translucent, very richly colored crystals of Fluorites on multigenerational Quartz matrix. The Fluorites range in color from an intense indigo blue hues with navy or azure blue overtones. You need strong light to show off the color, but it's notably powerful when it catches your eye. Perhaps the most interesting feature of these specimens is the actual crystal habit of the fluorites themselves. The smaller crystals have excellent cube / dodecahedron modified form, but as the crystals increase in side, they start to show unusual "rounded" faces that begin to make the crystals appear almost spherical in habit. You can still discern the dodecahedral faces, but the cube faces have tiny stepped edges on them and they look very different from any other Fluorites I've seen from China or elsewhere. Some of the crystals have minor octahedral modifications on the corners, but they're not very distinct. Lastly, it should be noted that the Quartz matrix has its own interesting attribute as the center hosts a gemmy "smoky" colored core, and the exterior is stark white with small studded "cactus"-esque thorns on the exterior. If you're a Fluorite collector, a Chinese mineral collector, or if you just like unusual / rare crystallography, don't miss out on this one. They already seem to be drying up on the market, and I'm sure some of you at the Tucson Show saw a few U.S. dealers offering them for noteworthy amounts.