Detailed information
Species
Fluorite, Quartz
Dimensions
90 x 115 x 50
mm
Locality
Riemvasmaak, Kakamas Northern Cape Province South Africa
Condition
No recorded repairs
Fluorite specimens from this remarkable locality were first recognised in the 1970s but did not reach the mineral market until about 2004. The Fluorite's almost unique colour combined with its characteristic sharp octahedral habit virtually advertises Riemvasmaak, as few if any other Fluorite occurrences look like this. This large cabinet specimen is of museum standard, in terms of quality and size and displays numerous light green Fluorite crystals richly coating a white Quartz encrusted matrix of granitic pegmatite. The base has been flattened using an air-pick enabling the specimen to sit or stand without excessive matrix. The largest octahedral crystal measures 3.9 cm on its longest edge and many are of between 1 and 1.5 cm. The Fluorite is transparent to semi-transparent with translucent zones and all are of a bright chrome-peppermint green. Under low magnification the Fluorite crystals are seen to contain sub-millimetre inclusions of either Pyrite or Chalcopyrite, but these are sparsely distributed. A spectacular specimen from the Riemvasmaak Fluorite occurrence.