Fluorite with Calcite ("gem corner") - image 1

Fluorite with Calcite ("gem corner")

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What an incredible Elmwood Mine gem Fluorite crystal! Elmwood has produced some great Fluorite and Calcite pieces throughout its history, but rarely have we seen completely gem Fluorite crystals such as this AND it's accented by a small gem Calcite. The Fluorite at first looks to be almost entirely a very rich and purple color that is essentially transparent inside, with gemmy zones of yellow within the core. On closer look, the purple color is actually due to very thin zones of dark purple 5 mm below the surface and then at the extreme outer edges and the location of the purple zoning makes the whole crystal look very purple at most angles, and really enhances the sharpness of the edges. A few faces are glassy smooth with almost a mirror-like luster while others have abundant stepped growth features that definitely have a more pronounced dark purple color. This is actually what is called a "GEM CORNER" among collectors: The corners are classic Elmwood style at its best, rare today - with water clear windows looking into the interior. This is caused by solution effects in the pocket as the crystals formed, tens of millions of years ago, and is a special quality feature we see in only a small few Elmwood pieces. The outer edges on such things generally are a deeper purple, which is also indicative of the Fluorites from there and of this piece. The window here is oriented to the bottom, as it can mount in one of two angles as shown. There is a slight damage at the bottom (on the pale yellow corner), which would not matter as you need to sink that into a base to stand it up anyways. The calcite can perch on top, and a few orientations are equally beautiful as you see.