Fluorite ("phantom" crystal) on Quartz (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

A solitary, razor-sharp, highly lustrous, gemmy, purple "phantom" cube of Fluorite measuring 1.7 cm is beautifully set near the base of a virtually WATER CLEAR, textbook, colorless, brilliantly sharp Quartz crystal free of matrix. The reverse side of the Quartz is coated by a layer of tiny compressed "disc"-like white Calcite crystals. There is a tiny little chip on the back of the termination on the Quartz, but otherwise the piece is pristine, with the exception of the base where it came out of the pocket. Excellent quality, very aesthetic and displayable, and truly iconic when it comes to Chinese minerals. The Yaogangxian Mine is simply one of the greatest localities in the last 20 years of Chinese minerals producing some of the most impressive and highest quality display specimens of a wide variety of species. Valued at $1,250 in the 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/labels.asp?colid=671&page=1 ) or on Wikipedia.