Fluorite on Quartz (rare color for the locality)

Item Description

Dalnegorsk is one of the great Russian mineral-producing localities. Specimens really started appearing in the Western market in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, and mining still takes place there today. Fluorite is a well-known mineral from Dalnegorsk, and typically found in green and colorless (the famous "ice cube" crystals) examples, but purple is uncommon to say the least. This small cabinet specimen is from one of the earlier lots to make its way out of Dalnegorsk. It was imported by Brad and Star van Scriver, and brought directly to Rich Kosnar circa 1993. It features a fine, solitary, sharp, well-formed, rather gemmy, soft purple colored octahedron of Fluorite measuring 1.8 cm, sitting on gentle silvery colored Quartz matrix. The Fluorite crystal has one little nick on the termination, but it's otherwise in fine shape. If you collect worldwide Fluorites, Russian minerals or specimens specifically from Dalnegorsk, this is a good example of this elusive color to add to your collection.