Fluorite on Quartz (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

As is the case with many Chinese localities, the famous Yaogangxian Mine has given collectors superb quality Fluorite specimens. This piece came out about 15 years ago (early 2000s), and is a wonderful example of the material. This beautiful display specimen hosts a sharp, well-formed, gemmy, rich purple and green colored cubic group of Fluorite measuring 3.0 cm on edge which is aesthetically sitting on wonderful milky white crystallized Quartz with minor accenting golden Dolomite and / or Calcite on the back edge. Additionally if you look at the last photo, you can see there are silvery-black colored "needles" of what is most likely Jamesonite but could be Berthierite, Boulangerite or Bismuthinite. My favorite aspect of the Fluorite is the combination of the strong purple hue with the contrasting green highlights on the edge of the crystal group. Overall, there is very little damage (one small nick on the Fluorite that I can see), and it's still remarkably showy as you can see. The back / underside of the piece does appear to have a mechanical / saw mark where it was trimmed to its current size, but it's not noticeable when the piece is displayed. This certainly now considered classic material is, so if you collect Chinese minerals or worldwide Fluorites, don't miss out on this cabinet sized attractive colorful display piece. Valued at $3,500. 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.