Fluorite, Quartz, and Muscovite

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.

Complex and yet geometric at the same time, this sharp cluster of several species features some of the best that the Piaotang mine in China has to offer. A dramatic, gemmy quartz extends diagonally in the cluster as the center of balance and it's framed by mossy-green muscovite and sharp, phantomed fluorite cubes to 2.8 cm. The fluorites are mostly clear and transparent, accented by saturated purple zones that formed mostly in the corners of the crystals. This fluorite and quartz piece comes from the Dr. Steve Smale collection, who was able to get build a large sourcing network in China during his years teaching at the City University of Hong Kong. It would date to the 1990s or early 2000s. Piaotang produces similar minerals to the more famous Yaogangxian Mine, and the specimens are often mixed up and later mislabelled as they trade hands over the years.