Fluorite with Quartz

Item Description

This is a wonderful matrix Fluorite specimen from the famous Blanchard Mine in New Mexico. This historic locality is very well-known for producing some beautiful secondary copper minerals like Linarite, Brochantite, Aurichalcite, etc. but it has also given collectors some excellent Fluorite specimens over the years. This piece is a lovely example of said material, featuring classic blue colored, translucent, cubic crystals of Fluorite measuring up to 1.6 cm on edge associated with Quartz crystals on matrix. Very good condition all around, with no major damage on the display side. The Fluorites show a vivid blue color in sunlight, but under halogen lighting, they are more of a purple hue. From the collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired, but among other things, he was the foreman and primary person in charge of recovering specimens at the famous Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado during the late 1970s. He is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. See Dave's photo mining at the Sweet Home on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".