Fluorite & Quartz (RARE Colorado) ex Univ. of Arizona & Kay Robertson Coll.

Item Description

A REAL San Juan Mountains, Colorado RARITY! Mineral specimens from this less well-known old gold and fluorite are EXTREMELY RARE. The Barstow Mine "is located on the East side (the Red Mountain side) of La Plata Mountain. Work began on the mine in 1895 and continued through 1930 when it was consolidated with the Idarado holdings. It was connected to the Treasury Tunnel via a crosscut and was worked trough the Tunnel during World War II. This mine worked the largest body of fluorite found in any of the San Juan Mines" (MINDAT). Pretty mint-green, lustrous, translucent octahedrons, to 2.5 cm, have frosted, densely stepped-growth faces and are tightly and aesthetically intergrown. The octos are nicely accented with segmented worm-like clusters of drusy quartz. Rich purple fluorescence. RARE older material with a fine provenance, having formerly been in the University of Arizona Colletion. Ex Kay Robertson Collection # 1888 and acquired from Scott Williams in February, 1961. Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record). Value of this perhaps unique Colorado rarity? A MUST for the Colorado, locality or species collector!