Quartz (doubly-terminated bi-pyramidal crystals) on Calcite (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

From the great Huanggang Mine in Inner Mongolia, these specimens are some of the more interesting and eye-catching specimens to come out. This is not your ordinary Quartz with Calcite as you can clearly see from the photos. This piece leaps out for the wonderful geometry and combination of forms. You'll immediately notice there are a handful of sharp, lustrous, doubly-terminated, bi-pyramidal (virtually no prism faces can be seen) hexagonal Quartz crystals which are colored a dark grey-green from Hedenbergite inclusions. The Quartz crystals measure up to 2.2 cm long, and if you look closely, you can see hundreds of fine quality stacked hexagonal faces on every side. The matrix is a pair of diverging, thin, slightly curved, muted sage green Calcite plates which also get their color from Hedenbergite inclusions. I have been told that these crystals are not true high-temperature beta-quartz crystals, but rather quartz that seems similar in shape to that rare style. It is stunningly three-dimensional, fine quality and nearly complete "floater" with only one small point of attachment at the base. A uniquely and highly desirable small cabinet specimen. Very few were found, and if you collect Chinese minerals, Quartz, Calcite or attractive display specimens, don't miss out on this one. Valued at $1,500. 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/labels.asp?colid=671&page=1 ) or on Wikipedia.