Calcite (var: Manganese-bearing) on Quartz (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

This is a notably sculptural and three-dimensional display specimen featuring a 3.1 cm semi-spherical group of soft pink manganese-bearing Calcite along with a few additional Calcite "balls" sitting on an aesthetic group of sharp, well-formed, prismatic, GEM quality, slightly smoky colored Quartz prisms. I love the fact that the piece sits to elegantly on its own without the aid of a base or clay. This is quite possibly the ONLY piece of this material that we've seen with the Calcite "ball" sitting on TOP of the Quartz crystals, usually you only see them on the side or the base of the Quartz. The piece is not 100% undamaged, as there are a few points of contact where it was intergrown with the pocket wall, but it's still in good condition and just look at how ornate and showy it is. A lovely small cabinet from this prolific locality in Inner Mongolia. Priced at $1,850 in our inventory. 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.