Cryolite

$2,000.00

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The ArkenstoneFeatured

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This is both a significant locality and species specimen of Cryolite from Ivigtut, Greenland, widely collected and studied in the late 1800s for its mineral resources and now relevant again in the news cycles for the same reason. Cryolite is a rather uncommon sodium aluminum fluoride species, but occurs somewhat abundantly at this locality. However, good crystals like this one are exceptionally rare from anywhere, including Greenland; and they usually date to old scientific expeditions of the late 1800s and early 1900s (this has a label we cannot date but is certainly 1800s era in style). The crystals look like cityscape blocks with gem clear cubes from 3 mm to fully 1 cm on edge that are slightly elevated from the granular, off-white Cryolite matrix. The colorless and totally clear Cryolite crystal is remarkable for the species. There is a small amount of Siderite associated with it and there is some iron staining. The Cryolite deposits at Ivigtut were mined for aluminum and were one of world's earliest sources of that element during the late 19th Century through the early 20th Century! This place was basically strip-mined under water level, to get at the deposit, before bauxite smelting was used to recover aluminium, and crystals of this quality and provenance are very rare today. A historic, important, rarity that has an old, experienced German label with it and it comes from the Paul Stahl collection (from Manfred Baumstark collection) - 29006.