Since the turn of the century China has produced some of the most magnificent crystallized Fluorite specimens the world has seen, but from a growing list of different mines each with their own distinctive features. The Shangbao mine, a high temperature skarn-type polymetallic deposit in Hunan Province, China, is renowned for wonderfully geometric cubo-octahedral crystals, where the main cubic faces are joined with highly distinctive wide bevelled edges. This lovely small cabinet-sized specimen exhibits cubic-dodecahedral faced crystals of Fluorite measuring to 1.8 cm across on a crystallized Quartz matrix. The crystals of Fluorite are gemmy and colourless on their cubic faces and frosted along their bevelled edges, giving them a lovely character, with flashes of internal purple colour. Despite being quite a pale coloured specimen the crystallographic qualities of these Fluorite crystals is wonderful. Ex Günter Ertle Collection.
