Fluorite With Pyrite

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This is of course a classic style of gemmy purple phantomed fluorite, for the location, but rarely seen in such a nicely trimmed-out specimen with a dominant crystal. Usually, you get little crystals in flattish plates. This is an appealing, large cluster of purple to blue Fluorite, accented with small Pyrite crystals for extra sparkle. The finely stepped faces have very good luster, and the largest of the crystals (5.2 cm) clearly show five color zones of phantoms within. That major, dominating crystal is RAZOR sharp. Despite the size of the specimen, it is nearly complete all around, and with only a small amount of edge wear in two spots. I have seen literally thousands of Illinois fluorites and this particular style, although classic and common in principle is just so hard to find in an exceptional cabinet piece. The sharp phantoms, the dominant single gem crystal among the rest, the rich color, and the accent of pyrite all combine to make this one "a notch higher" than the norm. All photos are shot with normal lighting, with a bit of backlighting, the phantoms will show even more dramatically. RCL 822