Fluorite

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This lovely miniature Fluorite from a recent discovery at Milpo mine in the remote Atacocha mining district in Peru presents a bizarre crystal form quite unlike anything I have seen in Fluorite before. It already has the wonderful glassy, green colour, now iconic to Milpo mine, but is a shade I liken to lime jelly. With backlighting this colour is extremely intense and shows grading from lime-green to yellowish-green. However, the standout feature here is the wonderful cubo-octahedral crystals, which on their top faces display a patternation akin to snakeskin. It is really weird to see and these crystals are stepped in growth, a little like the stones at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. The back and side of the specimen are cleaved surfaces, but the top face is in fine condition with the main crystals looking supremely glossy. This is certainly one of the most unusual pieces from this remarkable new find.