Calcite on Fluorite

Xianghualing Mine, Xianghualing Sn-polymetallic ore field, Linwu Co., Chenzhou, Hunan, China

Translucent green fluorite octahedra to 5 cm on edge form the body of this specimen. Held against the light, the crystals glow a bright, saturated green. Two small cubes of a later fluorite generation sit on the octahedrons. Scattered over the octahedra are gray nailhead calcite crystals: flat, blunt rhombohedra that look like the heads of nails. On fluorite from Xianghualing, calcite of this kind is the exception, and most specimens from the mine carry none. Xianghualing is a tin mine in southern Hunan and one of the best-known fluorite localities in China. Green octahedra with nailhead calcite are very rare, and collectors of Chinese fluorite seek this material out. A piece that shows everything the locality has to offer.