Name: Fluorapatite with Siderite
Brand: The Arkenstone
Price: 3000 USD
Availability: InStock

Fluorapatite with Siderite

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In every respect, this is a first-rate specimen of Fluorapatite from any locality, and you would simply assume it to be, because of the size and coloration, from Panasqueira in Portugal. However...it is not! The super-glassy prism faces, smooth and lustrous terminations, and gemmy-to-translucent interior all serve to enhance the gorgeous, grey-blue color. The color palette is a little off for Portugal, but it is spot on for early material from Yaogangxian, China's most productive mine. People today forget that it produced some apatite in the 1990s, and Kurt Hefendehl bought this as a Chinese specimen (his numbering indicates in the late 1990s). The main crystal is an unbelievable 4.4 cm across, and when you move it around under light you can see that there is a very noticeable, purple coloration to the interior (under the blue) which adds even more to the attraction of the piece. Use a UV light, and the interior fluoresces an unusual and interesting orange-pink color. On the matrix there are several well-formed, tabular, hexagonal crystals of 2-3 mm Siderite, which serve as a good complement to the Fluorapatite. The aesthetics and quality of this small cabinet specimen are quite striking. It has a few minor dings, but also has never been to a lab and could have them filled if desired. It is a stunning, important apatite from China, of an unusual size.