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markbeckett
Joined: 06 Oct 2016
Posts: 41
Location: Cornwall
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Posted: Oct 07, 2016 06:00 Post subject: Turquoise-blue Fluorite from Cornwall UK |
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Hi - I'm a newbie in FMF and have joined-up to learn more about my Cornwall collection.
I have recently purchased a small-cabinet size specimen of limpid, turquoise-blue Fluorite (cube crystals to approx 1.5cm, with a few small white quartz crysts) collected from East Pool Mine, Pool, Cornwall. I have been advised that this material was found in the Carn Brea section, probably before the 1930's.
The colour of this Fluorite is really striking and I have never seen any before in Cornwall, nor can I find any image of it while trawling the web. I believe that this particular material has been mentioned in the past in FMF .I saw a snippet of a post while googling (Aug.8th 2015 I think) where turquoise-blue Fluorite from Carn Brea Mines was mentioned, but I just can't find it when I search the forum posts. I would dearly love to hear that this material is recognised by anyone else.
Please, can anyone here confirm its occurrence? or comment on its location provenance? or any information at all? lt would be very gratefully received (please excuse my current ignorance of the 'search posts' system - I will try to master it asap) Please could anyone direct me in this matter.
Thank you very much for your time.
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Tobi
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Jordi Fabre
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Jesse Fisher
Joined: 18 Mar 2009
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Posted: Oct 07, 2016 10:55 Post subject: Re: Turquoise-blue Fluorite from Cornwall UK |
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The best reference I know of for Cornish fluorite is the Russell collection in the Natural History Museum, London. Unfortunately, most of it is not on display, so an appointment must be made to see it. I recall blue fluorites from a number of mines, including Carn Brea, Caradon, Wheal Mary Ann, and Wheal Gorland. If you can post a photo of your specimen I can see if it looks similar to any of the photos I took.
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markbeckett
Joined: 06 Oct 2016
Posts: 41
Location: Cornwall
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Posted: Oct 07, 2016 11:53 Post subject: Re: Turquoise-blue Fluorite from Cornwall UK |
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Jesse Fisher wrote: | The best reference I know of for Cornish fluorite is the Russell collection in the Natural History Museum, London. Unfortunately, most of it is not on display, so an appointment must be made to see it. I recall blue fluorites from a number of mines, including Carn Brea, Caradon, Wheal Mary Ann, and Wheal Gorland. If you can post a photo of your specimen I can see if it looks similar to any of the photos I took. |
Thanks Jesse - will upload a photo asap. :-)
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markbeckett
Joined: 06 Oct 2016
Posts: 41
Location: Cornwall
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Posted: Oct 08, 2016 05:02 Post subject: Re: Turquoise-blue Fluorite from Cornwall UK |
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Hi Jesse - here is an image of the turqoise Fluorite (I think the piece may have come from D. Barstow stock).
Its label is from 'Towan Gems & Mineral Centre, Newquay, Cornwall'. An old telephone number for this shop on the label indicates pre-1940's.
Mineral: | Fluorite |
Locality: | Carn Brea, Pool, Illogan, Camborne - Redruth - Saint Day District, Cornwall, England / United Kingdom | |
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Dimensions: | 4.5cm |
Description: |
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Jesse Fisher
Joined: 18 Mar 2009
Posts: 629
Location: San Francisco
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Posted: Oct 14, 2016 14:34 Post subject: Re: Turquoise-blue Fluorite from Cornwall UK |
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Looking through my photos of Cornish fluorite from the Natural History Museum, London, I don't find anything exactly resembling your specimen. From Carn Brea, this is perhaps the closest.
Mineral: | Fluorite, Quartz |
Locality: | Carn Brea, Pool, Illogan, Camborne - Redruth - Saint Day District, Cornwall, England / United Kingdom | |
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Dimensions: | approximately 12 cm |
Description: |
collection of the Natural History Museum, London |
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markbeckett
Joined: 06 Oct 2016
Posts: 41
Location: Cornwall
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Posted: Oct 15, 2016 11:11 Post subject: Re: Turquoise-blue Fluorite from Cornwall UK |
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Thanks very much for looking through your stuff to find the BM(NH) image. What a specimen!
I have just recently been reminded of a 'hand-size', multi-coloured piece that originated from the late Bernard May esq.(King Harry Steamship Company, Truro), that a close friend had back in the late 1970's. It had a cleaved, banded, 'completely crystalline' appearance and possessed green/turquoise/blue/purple/dark purple colouration and was linked to South Crofty. It seems that outer zonation in these crystals is often demarked by a 'purple' boundary. How I missed this at the time is beyond me! Apparently, Fluorite was at one time considered as a possible extra product for the mine, as there were large quantities recorded.
Thanks again - I will keep on looking ;-)
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