Fluorite with Calcite

Item Description

This specimen is listed as coming from "Lijang" in the Guangxi Province of China, but I'm certain it's from the Qinglong Mine in Guizhou, as we've had other pieces just like it in the past (see https://www.mindat.org/photo-1318059.html). I'm sure that "Lijang" was an erroneous name given by the dealer at the time of purchase. With that said, although this is a fairly common association of Fluorite with Calcite, this particular style is seldom seen from the Qinglong Mine. This small cabinet hosts a pair of "spires" which consist of well-formed, gemmy, rich purple colored cubes of Fluorite measuring up to 1.4 cm across, associated with sharp, "dogtooth"-shaped crystals of off-white colored Calcite with a slight reddish overtone in areas, measuring up to 1.3 cm. The piece is incredibly showy, and has very little damage. A really attractive example of this hard to find material, and it would make a superb addition to any Fluorite or Calcite suite or a collection of Chinese minerals. Valued $1,500.
From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#716 C), a well-known German collector all over Europe with worldwide contacts to dealers and collectors. He started collecting seriously at the age of 14 and his great and varied worldwide collection reached over 6000 pieces. He was very active mineralogically until shortly before his passing in 2020 at the age of 82. Considering his collection had a large number of pieces, it still had an unusually high standard of quality from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics as well as minerals of the Black Forest, where he spent much time collecting. His Black Forest and German subcollections went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. We at The Arkenstone have the privilege of offering the remainder of this great worldwide collection over the next two to three years through our various platforms.