Cinnabar with Dolomite and Calcite

Unknown Owner

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This is an impressive and colorful Chinese Cinnabar combination piece, with a contrasting matrix and an unusually robust calcite crystal from this location. At least two dozen, translucent, prismatic, vivid crimson colored crystals of Cinnabar grace this small cabinet piece and are highlighted by a light colored, crystalline Dolomite matrix and a big honey-colored Calcite crystal! The Cinnabar crystals are a saturated, dark red with good luster and range in size from 2 mm to 1 cm. the smaller crystals are more equant in form and stand out well on the piece due to the great contrast resulting in a very pretty specimen! Some of the Cinnabars are twinned and ALL of them glow a vivid red internally! The large, freestanding Calcite measures 3.7 cm across and provides great three-dimensionality to the piece. Two other smaller Calcites are located at the base of the larger one. This comes from finds at the Tongren Mine in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ex. Francesco Bedogne collection with label. Overall, this is a highly unusual location specimen for calcite, and a pretty combination regardless of locale.