SOLD
UKF22-29
Fluorite
"Queen of Green" pocket, Diana Maria Mine, Rogerley Quarry, Stanhope, County Durham, England, UK
Small Cabinet, 8.7 x 5.7 x 4.0 cm
SOLD

Discovered in the early 1970s, the fluorites at the Rogerley quarry are modern classics in mineral collecting. These remarkable specimens are immediately recognizable and easily distinguished from other great finds in China and beyond due to their gemmy, emerald green color and stunning purple daylight fluorescence. In 2017, a new specimen mining operation – the Diana Maria mine – began at the quarry, and has produced a few stunning pockets of specimens including the Queen of Green pocket, which is regarded as producing some of the finest specimens from the quarry. This self-standing small cabinet specimen is a wonderful example featuring a plate of gemmy fluorite completely covering the display face and wrapping around part of the matrix on the back. Wrapping around much of the perimeter of the specimen along the top and right sides are slightly larger crystals, up to 1.5cm, which are slightly gemmier and richer in color than the central, smaller crystals. Outside of some small dings here than there, the damage on the specimen is minimal and concentrated along the outer edges from extraction and trimming (the only damage worth pointing out is really a small chip off the back corner of a single crystal to the leftmost of the central cluster atop). In even low sunlight, the specimen exhibits wonderful purple daylight fluorescence, which is a hallmark of the locality. It is a fabulous, colorful specimen for the price. It was originally priced at $2500 by the dealer bringing the pocket to market. We are pleased to announce that we made a sizable purchase of the stashed material from this find, which had been put away before COVID, and so we are now able to offer them years later and at half the original asking prices!