Description
Detailed Description
This is a superb specimen, combining exceptional quality fluorite and quartz crystals. The quartz crystals are sharp, lustrous and water-clear, like Alpine quartz. Some have a flattened “tabular” habit, and others are the more classic form with relatively equal-size prism faces. The fluorite crystals are wonderful – they are light blue octahedra with dark purple cubo-dodecahedral crystals at selected octahedral corners. In absolutely excellent condition – I can only find one small chip on one quartz. This piece could really be oriented in any of a number of ways for display – it’s beautiful from many angles. From the John S. White quartz collection, this is a fantastic quartz-fluorite from Shangbao.
About the Shangbao Mine
The Shangbao Mine, which is nestled in a bamboo forest, was originally a small pyrite ore operation. However, commercial mining operations ended decades ago and for many years has been operated for specimens. Today the Shangbao Mine is widely regarded as one of China’s great mineral localities.
