SM20-371
Pyrrhotite and Fluorite with Calcite
Weilasituo Mine, Hexigten Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, China
Cabinet, 13.0 x 7.9 x 5.0 cm
SOLD

This is a shocking pyrrhotite combination piece from a small find of early 2019 that surprised all of us when we saw pyrrhotite crystals perched ON TOP OF purple fluorites! However, this is even more rare, and came out a few months after the main pocket, with the pyrrhotite on GREEN fluorite now. As far as I know, this was one of the best of that later small pocket. It is an aesthetic combination specimen that consists of an arrangement of pyrrhotite, fluorite and calcite to produce one well-balanced piece! Several exceptionally bright metallic, pale bronze, hexagonal plates of pyrrhotite are clustered on the left side of the piece and on the opposite side of the piece, rich, green, transparent to translucent, zoned fluorite crystals. The largest pyrrhotite crystal measures 4.7 cm across and is well-formed. It displays a brilliantly bronze colored, mirror-like metallic luster. Other pyrrhotite crystals aren't as well-formed but are essentially accents to the big one, and have the same high luster. Interestingly, all of the pyrrhotites seem to be highlighted to some extent by small, translucent, whitish calcite crystals sprinkled around their edges. The small, white, hexagonal prisms of calcite are sprinkled artfully only on the pyrrhotite and do not seem to underlie the fluorite. The 1.0 to 2.0 cm fluorite crystals are lustrous with sharp edges and exhibit a core of deep, almost opaque, blue-green with gem-clear, medium green corners. As a bonus, there is one penetration-twinned cluster of fluorite present! Nicely composed cabinet piece, from a very rare find in China, that frankly seems unique in the world at the moment. It is superb for the species. If such a thing came from Dalnegorsk, the only possible competitor locality, in the past, it would not have been with green fluorite but with clear. So, this is both important for species and unique for the association. A major modern Chinese specimen. As a bonus, the fluorescence is amazing!

Video on Instagram