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CC31828

CALCITE on DOLOMITE with QUARTZ

Shangbao Mine, Leiyang County, Hengyang Prefecture, Hunan Province, China
$500€420£367$500
SPECIMEN DESCRIPTION

You may possibly have seen photographs of the entrance to Shangbao mine in Leiyang County, Hunan Province, China; once seen, never forgotten. Towering, vertical white rocks surround the portal while the mine name (I presume) is written in vertical red script above the entrance, all set against a backdrop of a densely forested, steeply ascending slope. From Shangbao mine, this large cabinet specimen displays a cream to malty brown, barrel-shaped, translucent Calcite crystal perched on top of pastel pink Dolomite crystals with occasional white Quartz crystals emerging. The Calcite measures 7.0 x 4.5 x 4.0 cm and has a naturally etched and pitted, yet soapy-smooth surface, with a most attractive waxy, reflective lustre. The Calcite crystal is of a fairly complex habit. The saddle-shaped, pale flesh-pink Dolomite crystals coat nearly all sides of the matrix and the few milky Quartz crystals, scattered here and there, measure up to about 1.5 cm. The Calcite crystal appears to have two slight bruises, judged by an internal change to a much lighter colour. There is no evidence of damage to the surface at either point, so these could be natural features. A showy specimen.

SPECIMEN DIMENSIONS:

160 x 107 x 90 mm

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