Calcite

The West Cumberland Iron Ore Field might only be famous for a handful of well crystallised common species, but wow, what magnificent crystals have come out of this region. The famous five are Calcite, Baryte, Fluorite, Hematite and Quartz; in this case Calcite. It is a thumbnail specimen, either the terminated top of a once longer crystal or, more likely, what was a short stubby equant crystal of which this was the only portion that could readily be removed from its matrix or in-situ. The Calcite is completely colourless and transparent and, in the main, can be termed as gemmy. The entire upper surface is covered in multiple faces, typical of the exquisite complex Calcite crystallography these mines are famous for, but beyond my knowledge of crystallography for which to provide a detailed description. It is accompanied by a German label with a look of the 1960s or 70s and bearing a logo featuring an uppercase M sat on a horizontally rotated D.