CH19b-17
Calcite with Hedenbergite inclusions
Huanggang Fe-Sn deposit, Hexigten Banner, Inner Mongolia, China
Small Cabinet, 6.7 x 6.4 x 5.3 cm
$1,100.00 Payment Plan Available
Order Now
2016 saw this discovery of distinctive and highly attractive Calcites from Huanggang. Colored green by included Hedenbergite, these doubly-terminated, 'poker chip' Calcites are sharp, hexagonal, and in excellent condition. The luster is quite good, and varies from sparkly on the terminations (due to a coating of microcrystals) to glassy on the narrow prism faces. This vitreous luster really accentuates both the color and the translucence, and the subtle differences between the terminations and prism faces add a lot to the visual interest. Many of these clusters are truly sculptural in their nature, and often they have a spherical 'mini-cluster' of ultra-fine Calcites attached somewhere among the cluster. The largest of these Calcites is a robust 5.9 cm across, corner to corner. Reminiscent of the tabular, poker chip Calcites from San Luis de Potosi, Mexico, but with color, the aesthetics and sheer quality of these clusters is excellent, and makes them highly desirable. This is the last of a group we purchased from the miners shortly after they came out, which had languished at the cleaning lab and missed the previous updates (where they nearly sold out). It is as fine a piece in this size range as any, and no more have been found since.