ICN25 Fluorite on Amethyst
Dhamond, Madhya Pradesh State, India
9.2x 6.6x 3.7 cm

Many of you are familiar with the hemispherical fluorites from the Mahodari quarry, but there is also a second, less well known Indian locality that also produces odd fluorites.  This second locality is located a few hundred miles NE of Mahodari, in the state of Madhya Pradesh (MP).

Fluorites from this site are notable for being much more than merely hemispherical.  They can be elongated, and even stalactitic at times.  This one is a mere hemisphere, but has a beautiful amethyst association that is rarely seen at Mahodari.

The bulk of the pieces from this locality have had their surfaces roughly cleaned (even scraped), as is the case with this one.  it does retain much of its surface detail, so it has not been cleaned as much as most of the others.

 I asked an Indian dealer why the MP specimens were cleaned so roughly, and was told that they occur under a layer of soil (versus in water-filled pockets, as at Mahodari).  Rain water running through the soil creates acid, which alters the surfaces, which then get scraped off during preparation.  

As I am disclosing this information, I have no qualms about posting these pieces.  Different people draw the line of what constitutes "acceptable preparation" in different places, so it is up to the potential buyer to decide where this falls.  Personally, I think these are really unusual and unique fluorites that should be appreciated regardless.  For some localities, there is no way around some degree of prep-- some examples include Pederneira (all the tourmalines are glued back together), De'An (the fluorites are all etched out from under quartz, and mostly oiled), and Kagem (all the emeralds are carved and melted out of quartz)...








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