Fluorite

$12,500.00

$40.00 shipping
Seller offers an extended return window of up to 30 days
Ships from USA

Crystal ClassicsFeatured

Tucson, Arizona, USA

7,543 for sale·132 sold

White's Level at Middlehope Shield mine is where the world's first emerald-green Fluorite was discovered, way back in about 1818. It's significance was such that Edward Clarke, a lecturer at Cambridge University, produced an academic paper describing its discovery. Nowaday's green Fluorite is known from several localities in and around Weardale, including Height's mine and more recently the Rogerley and Diana Maria mines. However, the significance and rarity of specimens from the occurrence at Middlehope Shield mine mean that historic specimens are extremely sought after. This compact cabinet-sized specimen features superb twinned green Fluorite crystals displaying the iconic bevelled edges which, along with its sandy matrix, distinguish the material from any other occurrence in Weardale. This Fluorite is strongly daylight fluorescent, which produces a strong blue undertone, but as with all Middlehope Shield mine specimens it should not be left in sunlight for prolonged periods of time as the colour will fade. That said, it has been well kept for over two centuries, as this mine has famously been inaccessible for over a hundred years, and prior to that most specimens appear to have been extracted early on after its discovery. The crystals reach an impressive 2 cm on edge and are in excellent all round condition and display exceptional twinning growth-lines on the crystal faces. Considered by many to be the ultimate Fluorite to own from Weardale this Middlehope Shield specimen is a cracker. Ex brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021) Collection.