Fluorite on Quartz (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

There are many mines in China that produce excellent Fluorite specimens, and the famous Yaogangxian Mine is one of the premier spots for the species. This particular specimen is from an older find going back to the early 2000s and is a great display quality piece of this classic material. This small cabinet hosts sharp, well-formed, gemmy cubic crystals Fluorite measuring up to 2.2 cm on edge which are sitting atop excellent GEM quality, colorless Quartz prisms. The color of the Fluorites is a rich green shade in the center, but you can see there is a bit of "phantom" zoning, with a very thin purple line around the green area, which transitions into nearly colorless on the exterior of each Fluorite. Overall, there is very little damage, and it's remarkably showy as you can see. These pieces are certainly now considered classics, so if you collect Chinese minerals or worldwide Fluorites, don't miss out on this cabinet sized attractive colorful display piece. Valued at $1,800 in the inventory. 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.