5.4" Cubic Purple Fluorite with Phantoms - Yaogangxian Mine

This is a gorgeous cluster of cubic fluorite crystals that formed in association with small pyrite crystals on a quartz matrix. The fluorite has multiple phantoms within each crystal, with a prominent purple phantom about 1/8" from each crystal face. This cluster was collected from the Yaogangxian Mine in the Hunan Province of China.

Under short wave and long wave UV, these crystals fluoresce a vibrant purple color. It comes with an acrylic display stand.

Fluorite is a halide mineral comprised of calcium and fluorine, CaF2. The word fluorite is from the Latin fluo-, which means "to flow". In 1852 fluorite gave its name to the phenomenon known as fluorescence, or the property of fluorite to glow a different color depending upon the bandwidth of the ultraviolet light it is exposed to. Fluorite occurs commonly in cubic, octahedral, and dodecahedral crystals in many different colors. These colors range from colorless and completely transparent to yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, or black. Purples and greens tend to be the most common colors seen, and colorless, pink, and black are the rarest.

The mineral pyrite, also known as iron pyrite, is commonly referred to as Fool's Gold because its metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue give it a superficial resemblance to gold. In the old mining days, pyrite was sometimes mistaken for gold.

It is the most common of the sulfide minerals with the chemical formula FeS2. Pyrite crystals occur in many shapes and habits, including cubes of all sizes, penetration twin cubes, pyritohedral clusters and as small druzy crystals that can exhibit a beautiful glistening effect.


SOLD
DETAILS
SPECIES
Fluorite, Pyrite & Quartz
LOCATION
Yaogangxian Mine, Nanling Mountains, Hunan Province, China
SIZE
5.4 x 3.1"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#161510