Calcite

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One of the oldest famously unique styles of Chinese calcite are these fat disc-like calcite crystals from old finds at a location often called the Fozichong Mine, in a large ore field of the same name. This specimen is packed with dozens of translucent crystals which kind of look like reversed white-brown oreo cookies at first glance. The edges have a more opaque white color, but are so thin that you can see through them anyways to the gem cores in each crystal. Looking edge-on, you look down through the gemmy cores to the brown matrix underneath, so it looks like the crystals have color. The overall look is really unusual, special, and appealing. Old piece, probably from the early 2000s, from the large Chinese subcollection of Dr. Steve Smale.