Fluorapatite (rare locality)

Item Description

This is a fine and rarely crystal of Fluorapatite from a recent discovery in 2018 at this obscure locale in the former Orissa State (now called Odisha) in Eastern India. This, excellent, stout, sharp, lustrous, very well-formed, thick, prismatic hexagonal crystal is the best example that we've had to offer in the auctions. It shows textbook form with beautiful pyramidal modifications along the termination. It's fairly gemmy when backlit with a somewhat murky green color. Although it's not 100% complete on the back, the front side is in amazingly good condition. A great piece to add to any gem crystal suite, an Apatite collection or a cool oddity to add to any Indian mineral collection. This piece was discovered in a lamproite field. Lamproite-group rocks are dark-colored magmatic rocks enriched in K and Mg and hypabyssal or effusive in origin. Lamproites are peralkaline ultrapotassic Mg-enriched magmatic rocks with all hallmarks of ultrabasic rocks such as elevated Cr and Ni contents (Mitchell 1991). These rocks can contain Apatite and / or Spinel. Specimen weight is 239.40 grams. Valued at $3,000 in the inventory for size, quality and the fact that it's one of the better examples of the material that we've seen.