Fluorite from Wölsendorf fluorite mining district, Bavaria, Germany

Fluorite - Wölsendorf Fluorite Mining District, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany 🤎💜🤎

Ex. Liebetrau Collection

An early label identifies that this specimen was collected in 1947. It truly is a relic of the "Zero Hour"—the desperate years immediately following WWII in Germany. In 1947, a time when the Marienschacht and Johannesschacht mines were being stripped for industrial flux to rebuild Europe’s steel backbone and when fluorite was measured in tonnage, this fragile specimen should have been crushed. Instead, it was hand-saved, likely by a miner who saw a glimmer of value in the dark drift. It was preserved, likely smuggled out by a miner who saw value in beauty amidst the ruin. It is a relic of reconstruction, saved from the crusher to eventually find its way into the esteemed collection of Al and Sue Liebetrau.