Red Fluorite from Switzerland
Of the entire suite of European Alpine minerals, pink fluorite is probably the most sought after by serious collectors. The collecting season is short, the terrain is rugged, and phenomenal dedication is required of those who brave the heights seeking the clefts and fissures where these crystals occur. The Strahlers (called "Cristalliers" in France and Italy) who bring these minerals down from the rarified air often "rope in" to remove these specimens from tiny clefts in sheer mountain faces.
Occasionally a pocket is encountered lined with fluorite crystals of exceptional deep pink or even red color. The specimens you see here represent just about the deepest red color you can ever expect to see in fluorite.
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Fluorite A red 1.4 cm fluorite octahedron on a small amount of matrix. Sharp, lustrous, gemmy and beautifully formed, this is a really special thumbnail matrix specimen. There is a thin coating of pocket material on one face of the crystal. |
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Fluorite on Smoky Quartz A very red 1.5 cm fluorite octahedron on a 3 cm smoky quartz cluster, with a bit of matrix attached at the top of the specimen. The fluorite is sharp and transparent - a killer "toenail" specimen. |
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Fluorite A deep red cluster of fluorite with a beautifully modified main crystal. Small contact areas on the bottom and one side don't detract from the razor sharp edges and lustrous faces of this specimen.
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