Fluorite with Calcite on Quartz (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

A rarely seen association specimen from the Dongposhan Mine in Hunan, China featuring Fluorite with Calcite on Quartz. To have all three species together on the same specimen, let alone a superior quality big cabinet display piece, is notably rare in my experience with this material. The piece is filled with many excellent quality, sharp, lustrous, very gemmy, rich purple colored Fluorite crystals that show a combination of cubic and dodecahedral faces measuring up to 1.8 cm across, associated with very thin, "wafer"-like blades of stark white Calcite sitting atop slightly grey colored, prismatic Quartz crystal matrix. The piece has been sawn on the bottom so it sits nicely on its own without the aid of a base or clay. The central portion of the specimen is in excellent condition with no major damage, but the periphery of the piece is contacted/broken where it was removed from the pocket. If you collect Fluorites or Chinese minerals, this is an important combo specimen that you're not likely to see again on the market anytime soon, as the locality hasn't produced anything in a few years. Valued at $2,000 in our inventory. 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/biographies_labels/smalestephen/ ) or on Wikipedia.