Calcite (gemmy crystals) (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

This piece comes with a hand-written label from Smale that states he believes the locality is Guangxi, but nothing more specific. This gorgeous cabinet sized specimen features a predominant, sharp, very lustrous, GEMMY, compressed scalenohedral crystal of Calcite measuring 3.8 cm across associated with a smaller "sidecar" Calcite and sitting on a layer of dozens of sparkling gemmy smaller Calcites of equal quality on matrix. The color of the larger crystals is a misty silvery-golden hue, while the smaller crystals have a reddish tint from the underlying matrix (possibly iron content?). I can't find any damage to either of the main Calcites whatsoever. If you look closely, there are slight internal "phantoms" inside each of the bigger Calcite crystals, giving them an almost ethereal appearance. Very good quality, and a great piece to add to any Calcite suite or a collection of Chinese minerals. Priced at $2,000. 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.