Calcite - image 1

Calcite

Unknown Owner
Help improve this recordNo owner is registered for this specimen yet. If it's yours or you know more about it, you can add the owner, provenance, publications and other details.
Sign in to contribute
You're seeing the last of the Leiping calcites - this large plate is actually from a batch that was in the back room of a Chinese dealer, and we bought the only good ones left. These calcites are distinguished by the prodigious size of the fat crystals (up to 5 cm across the sharp pyramidal terminations), and internal hematite-coated phantoms inside of the crystals, formed during the first generation of growth. These are wonderful under UV light! 15.9 x 9.4 x 5.9cm

Product details

SpeciesCalcite
SizeLarge Cabinet
Dimensions15.9 x 9.4 x 5.9 cm
Added on10/23/2024
LocalityChina, Hunan, Leiping Mine

Known provenance

DateCollectorAcquisition price
08/2024Unknown OwnerNot disclosed
—The ArkenstoneNot disclosed

Learn more

Calcite
Mineral guide
Learn about Calcite
diverse shapes, colors, and optical quirks; widely available yet scarce elite pieces from Elmwood and Charcas drive collecting value and display.
Calcite
Regional guide
Calcite from Leiping Mine, China
from Leiping Mine, in the Leiping area of Guiyang County, Chenzhou, Hunan, is one of the unmistakable modern Chinese calcite styles: lustrous, sharp, often translucent to gemmy crystals animated by warm iron-oxide and hematite color. The best specimens do not rely on size alone. They have architecture—wing-like twins, stacked rhombs, spiky scalenohedral sprays, and multi-generation crystals where clear late calcite wraps or caps an older, rust-red included core.