Fluorite ("phantom" cubes) with Quartz and Dolomite (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

This is not your typical Shangbao Fluorite as the habit and colors are a bit different. It came from one of the early pockets in the mine's history, and this particular style is highly sought after as very few exist on the market. This fantastic cabinet sized piece features a group of highly lustrous, very gemmy, sharp, well-formed cubes of Fluorite with minor dodecahedral modifications on the edges measuring up to 2.2 cm on edge. The Fluorites are quite gemmy and feature distinct internal phantoms with color zoning ranging from soft green to purple hues. Associated light pink colored groups of Dolomite with notably pearly luster and sharp white prismatic Quartz crystals make for the perfect touch to give the piece depth and character. Nearly all of the central Fluorites are undamaged (I found one small nick, but I didn't see anything else that was significant), but the outer edge of the specimen is contacted where it was removed from the pocket. A fantastic eye-catching specimen to add to any Fluorite collection or suite of Chinese minerals. Valued at $5,000 in the inventory for size, quality and sheer visual beauty. 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/labels.asp?colid=671&page=1 ) or on Wikipedia.