T1506 Fluorite
Yaogangxian Mine, Chenzhou, Hunan Prov., China
11.6x 7.1x 4.6 cm
$1900
A cabinet sized fluorite crystal, displaying decent clarity and light phantoms.
Although very small amounts of material have recently made it out of Yaogangxian, the output is a trickle compared to the early 2000's, when the mine produced enough material to become a staple of the wholesalers.
As the prices of Chinese minerals keep climbing, I ended up doing a deal to purchase a very large amount of material-- this way I can offer pieces at prices below what the Chinese dealers themselves were originally asking. This piece was originally marked considerably higher by the dealer who was offering it.
Since 1914, Yaogangxian has operated primarily for tungsten recovery and is today a government run operation.
