Fluorite (GEMMY "phantom" crystals) (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Shangbao Mine, Leiyang Co., Hengyang Prefecture, Hunan Province, China
Small Cabinet, 6.0 x 4.8 x 4.3 cm
Start Time: 01/10/2019 6:45:00 pm (CST)
End Time: 01/17/2019 6:45:00 pm (CST)
Auction Closed

Item Description

A classic and a staple from the Shangbao Mine. The Fluorites from this locality are some of the most distinctive, eye-catching and highest quality examples from any Chinese locality. This particular piece hosts many beautiful, sharp, lustrous, GEMMY purple and green "phantom" crystals with cubic, octahedral and dodecahedral faces. The piece is nearly a 100% complete "floater" with only a tiny point of attachment along with minor associated slightly off-white Calcite and Quartz crystals, plus a couple small Pyrite cubes. The largest Fluorite measures 2.1 cm. As far as I can see, virtually all of the crystals are damage free and so elegantly intergrown to create a lovely three-dimensional specimen. Overall, it's very difficult to obtain pieces of this quality with such excellent aesthetics and balance. The piece displays wonderfully and really stands out as a fine example from this famous mine. Valued at $2,000 in the inventory. x 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.

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