Fluorite

Unknown Owner

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Here is a beautifully zoned yellow and purple Fluorite from the less prolific Crystal Mine in the Illinois Fluorspar district (same deposit, and later merged into the Minerva Mine, if I recall). This absolutely lovely piece has a large, rich yellow, mostly transparent core with some slightly turbid areas at the interior, along with a sharply defined, 3 to 4 mm, rich purple rim. There is a distinct, 2 mm dark purple internal phantom that highlights the purple zone in general making it very dramatic. The prominent three corners are apparently pristine; but I can say we sent this to the lab and had minor restoration done, over some small damages primarily on the middle "tip" corner. You cannot see such high quality restoration work except under UV light, so it does not affect visual impact at all. The surface of this elongated cube has an almost glassy luster on the broad corners with the interior of the faces showing slightly recessed areas with multiple, square, geometric growth features that add character to the piece. This is just a stunning Illinois Fluorite that just stands out in any display! Bob collected the specimen in mine in 1971, himself! He was Rock's executor but sadly predeceased him. Acquired in 2015, Rock Currier got the specimen when he was given Bob Bartsch's collection in his living trust. Bob was a legendary field collector as well as a great mineral collector overall, and you can read more here: http://www.mindat.org/article.php/2158/Robert+Bartsch+++RIP++1939+to+2014