Fluorite (rare Arizona locality)

Item Description

There are scattered Fluorite localities throughout Arizona, but it's not the first species that most people think of when it comes to minerals from the Grand Canyon State. This piece is from the lesser-known Heson (Hesson) Mine in the Buckskin Mountains, about 25 East/Northeast of Quartzite. From what I can gather, this was a small-time lead mine, which also produced attractive Fluorite specimens. This small cabinet piece features sharp, well-formed, translucent, purple and blue-green colored octahedral crystals measuring up to 7 mm, sitting on blades of sugary Quartz, along with resinous, slightly lavender colored compressed crystals of Calcite on the underside. Very good shape overall, only a few small blemishes. This is a cool locality piece for any Arizona collector or a fan of worldwide Fluorites. From the collection of Robert (Bob) Reynolds who passed in August of 2020. The piece was acquired from dealers Dick Morris and Mark Hay. Bob was a well-known fossil and mineral expert and former Curator of Earth Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum in California. The rare phyllomanganate-chromate species Reynoldsite was named in his honor in 2011.