Gemmy Fluorite cubes (urban Beijing!)

Item Description

Rich golden-amber, gemmy to translucent, glassy, very lustrous fluorite cubes are intimately intergrown on the feldspar matrix on this aesthetic and sculptural small cabinet from circa 2022-2023 finds at this old urban Beijing mine. Some of the cubes are interpenetrating, adding even more character. The presentation face is pristine. The dominating large crystal on the upper left is 2.2 x 2.0 x 2.0 cm and the cube on the lower right is 2.5 cm across. The mine was worked with slave labor during World War II and then abandoned. Local collectors recently entered the old workings and recovered a limited number of these beauties during Covid years. Rich purple LW UV fluorescence. They resemble the classic yellow fluorites from the famous Hilton Mine of Cumbria, England. High praise, indeed! Not many yellow fluorites are worthy of that comparison!