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Lot 1208
Fluorite Rough and Cut
27 May 2010, 13:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$21,960 inc. premium
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Find your local specialistFluorite Rough and Cut
Argentiere Glacier, Chamonix, France
Some of the most prized fluorite specimens known are the pink octahedral crystals from the French Alps. Historically, these are found by "strahlers" who often risk their lives in crevasses and canyons in the mountain heights. The specimens are best collected as the glaciers thaw each summer, and the terrain can be dangerous. Few specimens of size are extracted easily, for obvious reasons, from these tight Alpine pockets. This specimen would be considered a monster, of large size, and remarkably free of repairs. It has a fine, hot pink color. The gemstone is an unusually large and clean piece cut from rough fluorite, from the same locality. The present offering is of a very large cluster of octachedral-shaped crystals with a color is a very hot, rich pink throughout, with good translucency and transparency. Some minor associates of calcite are in evidence, measures 4 x 3 x 3in; together with an emerald-cut gem pink fluorite, weighing approximately 26.84 carats and measuring 17.75 x 15.70 x 11.80mm. (2)
Some of the most prized fluorite specimens known are the pink octahedral crystals from the French Alps. Historically, these are found by "strahlers" who often risk their lives in crevasses and canyons in the mountain heights. The specimens are best collected as the glaciers thaw each summer, and the terrain can be dangerous. Few specimens of size are extracted easily, for obvious reasons, from these tight Alpine pockets. This specimen would be considered a monster, of large size, and remarkably free of repairs. It has a fine, hot pink color. The gemstone is an unusually large and clean piece cut from rough fluorite, from the same locality. The present offering is of a very large cluster of octachedral-shaped crystals with a color is a very hot, rich pink throughout, with good translucency and transparency. Some minor associates of calcite are in evidence, measures 4 x 3 x 3in; together with an emerald-cut gem pink fluorite, weighing approximately 26.84 carats and measuring 17.75 x 15.70 x 11.80mm. (2)
Footnotes
Offered on a custom-fitted acrylic base with special mounting provided to accommodate the unmounted emerald-cut fluorite.