FLUORITE. ...

Description

FLUORITE
Xianghualing Mine (Hsianghualing Mine), Xianghualing Sn-polymetallic Orefield, Linwu Co., Chenzhou Prefecture, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China
Worked since the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 BP), the Linwu Orefield started out producing Copper and by the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 BP) was also the source for Tin and other metals. More recently, China's modern industrial demands resulted in a focus on Fluorite, a key component in aluminum production among other things. The value of bulk Fluorite is reckoned in dollars per ton: hardly the kind of material worth purloining. Nevertheless, the entrepreneurial spirit runs deep in China and it wasn't long before crystals "high-graded" from the Linwu mines attracted the attention of foreign buyers at the mineral market in Changsha and the rush was on. Since that time in the 1990's, the production of specimens has been both large and varied enough for certain pockets in the main producing mine (Xianghualing or "Aromatic Flower Peak" in the local patois) to be graced with 'nick-names' based upon common characteristics of specimens from those pockets. e.g. the "Blue-Green Octahedra Pocket" of 1997 or the "Freaky Lustre Pocket" of 1999. Most notable for the size and perfection of the crystals that were produced from the mine, was the "Apple-Green Fluorite Pocket" of 1996 - the source of this stunning piece. Somehow, an aged local gentleman had acquired all of the pocket and crammed the entire load into his apartment. Based on size & quality, he asked for and received astronomical prices for this material. The cream of this material was quite identifiable for features well embodied by this specimen:

· Individual crystals are large cubes (2 ½ inches on edge) with minor octahedral modifications.
· Their luster and transparency are such that one can easily see all the way through crystal sections of over 3 inches thick to the light colored matrix and even read through them, should one wish to.
· The color of the cubes is a light and even green - very much like the green apples the pocket was named for.
· The cubes are draped on all sides of a vertical fin of matrix rock allowing the group to be viewed from 360 degrees.
· In spite of the large size of the group, it is in unbelievably fine condition - the brilliantly glassy luster is unsullied by the usual scratches and dings commonly observed on Chinese material.

As a side-note: The rise of China as a world power is mirrored by an ever growing market in China for aesthetic objects; particularly ones of Chinese origin. Continued export of material, such as this, is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. An evolving strategy of repatriation is very likely to affect the value and availability of this specimen and others like it. This exceptional specimen is approximately 15 ½ inches long, 7 inches wide and stands 7 ½ inches high, with the largest crystals to 2 ½ inches on edge.

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