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NOTE ON PHOTOGRAPHY AND COLORS: These are bright, glassy, and some of them so clear that it is difficult to photograph and tempting to enhance color to compensate. Please note that we have done our best to err on the side of accuracy in photography, as always. The colors have not been compensated here and so when you see a hint of green, it is usually more so in person. When you see clear crystals here, you should assume that they look "cleaner" in person due to the reflections off internal planes caught by the camera that don't show up as visibly to the eye.
flu00 - Fluorite with Sphalerite - $2500 SOLD Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico cabinet, 15 x 12 x 7 cm
A stunning combination piece, among the larger pristine specimens to come from this pocket to my knowledge, with two clusters of GEMMY, TRANSPARENT fluorite flanking a central tower of crystallized sphalerite. The sphalerite is lustrous and glassy. The fluorites are totally clean and transparent - and free of any damage. The fluorite clusters measure 5 and 8 cm verticlaly, and eahc is terminated on the bottom end as well if you look at the undersides. The 3-dimensionality is remarkable! The fluorite on the left is nearly colorless with a faint lavender hue, and the one on the right is nearly colorless with just a faint green pastel hue in some lighting. They are essentially colorless though, and so the geometry is all the more apparent as you lok into each complex cluster. The stark contrast of the lustrous, jet black sphalerite between the two fluorite clusters makes the piece , and provides relief. It is MUCH MUCH better in person! Also, pieces like this are VERY distinct form earlier finds which had much more prominent galena association and less of the sphalerite. The rich , killer-quality sphalerite that is more common in this pocket is really quite unusual for Naica in any quantity, and with good fluorite in association.
flu01 - Fluorite with Sphalerite - $850 Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico small cabinet, 7.0 x 6.4 x 3.8 cm
A superbly balanced specimen with transparent, sharp, pristine cuboctohedral crystals of classic form for this lcoality, perhced against a shard of sphalerite crystals. You can look through the main crystal and see some of the sphalerite behind it,even. The large crystal atop is fully 4 cm across. It is pristine and complete around the sides, contacted only on back. This is an unusually dramatic piece, I think! Also, pieces like this are VERY distinct form earlier finds which had much more prominent galena association and less of the sphalerite. The rich , killer-quality sphalerite that is more common in this pocket is really quite unusual for Naica in any quantity, and with good fluorite in association.
flu02 - Fluorite with Pyrite inclusions - $950 SOLD Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico small cabinet, 8.6 x 5.1 x 5.0 cm
A beautiful specimen with a rich pastel green color and TOTAL TRANSPARENCY, combined with unusually high internal glassy brightness...so overall, this sparkles like crazy. The fluorites show stepped growth one upon another, with cubes modified by octohedral faces at the edges for some very reflective bevels. The golden pyrite inclusions add some obvious pizzazz, and make it really interesting an eyecatching, I believe. Pristine, complete all around (contacted only on the bottom), and just a VERY fine Naica fluorite of classic habit!
flu03 - Fluorite with Galena, Quartz, Pyrite inclusions - $325 SOLD Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico miniature, 4.9 x 4.6 x 3.3 cm
Water-clear, SHARP cuboctohedral flurites perched one upon the other in a delicately balanced cluster upon a short stack of galena crystals! These fluorites are so clear you can look through to the galena inside or at the back. Also, there is a really neat group of floating pyrite crystals inside the large lower fluorite here, showing what appears to be a cast after an earlier crystal of fluorite or galena where the pyrite specks cumulatively retain the outline of a cubic predecessor. VERY NEAT, though subtle.
flu04 - Fluorite on Sphalerite - $300 SOLD Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico miniature, 5.5 x 4.5 x 4.3 cm
A really sculptural cluster of 1-inch fluorites, very gemmy and with nice green color, perched upon a little hill of sphalerite! Everything is bright and sparkly, and the fluorites leap out 3-dimensionally. To be picky, there is one VERY tiny ding on one crystal and one VERY unobtrusive shallow conchoidal sleave out of one tip of the rightmost. I have lowered the price accordingly or this would be $750, and visually it LOOKS like a more expensive piece if you don't mind those close-up , very minor, two spots.
flu05 - Fluorite with Galena & Pyrite inclusions - $200 SOLD Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico small cabinet, 7.1 x 5.6 x 4.1 cm
A bright, beautiful piece with bright, beautiful pyrite inclusions galore! The crystals are just stunning in their clarity, color,and gemminess. Sadly, the right side of the crystal tower there is contacted in several places where it grew against something else, now gone; and the crystallization has thus been interrupted or left rough at the split. I do not think it is real damage, but the right side of the display face is thus rough to the touch, even though visually it looks pretty good (as you see!). Hence, the low price for probably the bet pyrite inclusions in fluorite in the lot!
flu06 - Fluorite on Sphalerite - $350 SOLD Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico miniature, 5.5 x 4.8 x 3.8 cm
Gorgeous, pristine, 1-inch cuboctohedral crystals perched on a stalk of sphalerite! They are gemmy and transparent, and this is one of my favorite miniatures in the lot.
flu07 - Fluorite on Galena - $145 SOLD Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico miniature, 5.9 x 4.8 x 3.7 cm
Gorgeous, pristine, cluster of large cuboctohedral crystals perched on a galena matrix. They are gemmy and transparent, and complete all around except for a small contact in back where you can see some very pretty pyrite inclusions. Classic Naica crystallization!
flu08 - Fluorite - $325 SOLD Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico small cabinet, 6.6 x 5.3 x 3.6 cm
This piece features a GEMMY, transparent, pastel green crystal measuring 4 cm atop a stacked aggregate of smaller, stepped fluorites showing various cubic or octohedral faces. It is VERY bright and sparkly. Complete and pristine on front, contacted only on the back.
flu09 - Fluorite on Sphalerite - $450 SOLD Gibraltar Mine, Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico miniature, 5.2 x 4.9 x 4.9 cm
A stunning miniature with a horizontal "T" of fluorite crossing the sphalerite matrix. The fluorite is the most gemmy, clean, transparent quality you can ask for and you can look right through it to the underlaying matrix! The fluorite is undamaged on front and sides, with just a few minor contacts (or cleaves - it is hard to tell) confined to several minor rear-facing crystals. This piece actually sits on its own nicely, at an angle intermediate to those shown in the top photos.
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