Aragonite with Calcite

A well-formed group of colourless to snow white, pseudo-hexagonal prismatic Aragonite crystals measuring to 4.5 cm. This very fine Aragonite is from the Špania Dolina mining area in Banská Bystrica County, Slovakia; an ancient copper mining district which dates back to Neolithic times. The Aragonite prisms are mostly coated in a fine druse of colourless, micro-crystals of Calcite, producing a sparkling-frosted shimmer as if coated with granulated sugar. Under LWUV the Aragonite fluoresces a dark, dirty white, with odd patches which at first are perceived as dark red, but when focusing on such areas they then appear dark muddy cream. Not the most aesthetic of fluorescent descriptions, but an honest one!