Fluorite (unusually compressed crystal habit)

Item Description

The famous Yaogangxian Mine has produced some of the most recognized and beautiful display quality minerals from any locality in China. This impressive locality has given collectors some of the most eye-catching Fluorite specimens found in the last 25 years, and this piece is no exception. This small cabinet display piece hosts excellent, sharp, lustrous, GEMMY, rich purple colored crystals of Fluorite measuring up to 3.6 cm on edge. The most interesting aspect of the piece is the fact that the main Fluorite crystal is unusually compressed / tabular, which is not only a rare crystal habit for Fluorite, but it's almost unheard of from this mine. The matrix is covered with little "discs" of off-white Calcite, some of which are coating a prismatic Quartz crystal. If you flip the piece over, you can see the remains of a jet-black Ferberite crystal, which has been partially etched away. With backlighting, you can see the Fluorite crystals have a bit of color zoning, with alternating hues of purple, and a small amount of colorless areas on the edges. The piece sits beautifully on its own without the aid of a base or clay. No major damage that I can find. A really special and unique Fluorite from this prestigious locality. Priced at $2,500 in our inventory.