Fluorite (RARE octahedral habit for the locality) (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

The vast majority of the Fluorite crystals from the prolific Yaogangxian Mine are cubic in habit, but this piece features incredibly hard to find OCTAHEDRAL Fluorites. I've only seen a handful of these over the years, and this particular style has not been found for quite some time. This elegant small cabinet display specimen features a few well-formed, sharp, lustrous, intense purple colored octahedral crystals of Fluorite measuring up to 1.7 cm associated with colorless, GEM QUALITY prismatic Quartz crystals and tightly intergrown crystal groups of beige-tan colored Muscovite Mica on a slab of matrix. Please note that the matrix has been sawn/carved on the bottom to smooth it out and allow the piece to present more effectively. If you look closely at the Fluorite crystals you can see an almost "textured" appearance on the surface, a sign of a slight secondary crystallized overgrowth. The piece is in great condition, as the two main Fluorite crystals are pristine, while the smaller Fluorites have some minor imperfections. A must have piece for any fan of worldwide Fluorites, minerals of China or specifically pieces from the famous Yaogangxian Mine. Priced in our inventory at $3,000 retail. From the collection of Dr. Stephen Smale. 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.