Detailed information
Species
Fluorite
Dimensions
87 x 105 x 43
mm
Weight
280 g
Locality
De'an Fluorite Mine, Wushan De'an Co., Jiujiang Prefecture Jiangxi Province, China
Condition
No recorded repairs
This small cabinet-sized sculptural growth of intergrown octahedral Fluorite crystals is an early 21st century classic from De'an Fluorite mine near Wushan in Jiujiang Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, China. Traditionally prepared by etching away the surrounding enclosing Quartz matrix this style of Fluorite is more dramatic for its crystal shape than its intensity in colour or lustre. Still, the Fluorite is coloured, and is colour zoned (pale purple to blue-green), but the duller lustre of this type of Fluorite from De'an Fluorite mine does reduce its appeal, otherwise this would ultimately be a $1000 plus specimen. Individually, the octahedral crystals reach up to 2.5 cm across and are all well-formed but with a few small chips to the occasional edge and tip. As a larger, showy example of this rarer octahedral habit of Fluorite crystals this is very well priced. Ex Arvid Pasto Collection, no. AEP1240, and illustrated as figure 13 in his 2009 book, Collector's Guide to Fluorite as from Shangrao mine.