Scheelite with Fluorite on Muscovite (rare association for the locality)

Item Description

This famous Chinese locality has produced some of the most distinctive and signature specimens from anywhere in the entire country. The top examples of Scheelite from this mine are incredible in terms of size, color and quality. This particular piece features a group of sharp, lustrous, gemmy / translucent, rich orange color, pseudo-octahedral crystals of Scheelite measuring up to 1.3 cm which are associated with virtually colorless gemmy cubes of Fluorite measuring up to 2.2 cm on edge. This is a rare association from this locality, and I've only seen a handful of Scheelites with Fluorite from Pingwu. The matrix is a bed of silvery bladed Muscovite crystals. The Fluorites are contacted, so the piece is not damage free, but to find these two minerals together from this mine is notably rare, so if you collect Chinese minerals, don't miss out on this one. 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.