FLUORITE with SPHALERITE

SPECIMEN DESCRIPTION

This beautiful, display quality Fluorite, really shows how superb the new Milpo mine specimens from the remote Atacocha mining district in Peru can be. At large miniature size, it is an almost pure crystallized aggregate of Fluorite with just a light dusting of Sphalerite and Geocronite microcrystals upon the surface. The Fluorite crystals are large cubo-octahedra, individually reaching 2.8 cm across, but it is the stacked combination of crystals which produces the dynamic effect. These crystals are matt, frosted on their pyramidal faces, and glassy and transparent through the cubic edges. The intensity of colour is excellent, presenting the sumptuous rich vibrant green, which lights up with backlighting. The rear of the specimen looks, on first impressions to be a broken surface, but closer inspection reveals that this was an ancient break, with recrystallization apparent, meaning that it was probably a 'floater'. With an appropriate mount this specimen stands perfectly for display. A fantastic example of the marvellous cubo-octahedral Fluorite form from Peru and in the most wonderful of colour.