FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Casimir Sarisky]

Alright, I am relatively new to the hobby of collecting minerals. The main mineral that appeals to me is fluorite. Unfortunately, with my limited funds I cannot acquire the most visually appealing specimens available on the market. I have only several hundred dollars to spare at any given time.

So that means that I can only acquire one great specimen as the "flagship" of my collection. With the numerous localities for this common mineral, what would be the ideal choice to be the main piece to my collection? Personally I would love a specimen with gemmy blue and/or green color and be a cabinet or large cabinet sized. As a floater or with a limited matrix. In pristine condition with no damage.

Fluorites from Okorusu (the older versions that are more gemmy from the 70s'-80's) looked to be a good choice but the ones I see now are not as good quality as I would like and are typically flat plate specimens. I cannot seem to locate the classic versions which were more gemmy online.

Any other fluorite localities that have visually appealing blue and/or green fluorite specimens? I already have two from China so I would like another locality since I would like to acquire minerals from different localities.

[kushmeja]

I have a decent fluorite collection, and my favorites are from Riemvasmaak in Northern Cape Province, South Africa - definitely worth checking them out. They tend to have complex triangular morphology with vivid green color, so they look great in my opinion.

Rogerley Mine in Weardale district, County Durham, England also has killer fluorite that changes color depending on the type of light, because their fluorescent to some extent in daylight. They tend to change from green in incandescent light to a deep blue in daylight.

[GneissWare]

[Casimir Sarisky]

[Casimir Sarisky]

[GneissWare]

You should really try to attend the East Coast Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, West Springfield, MA on August 7–9, 2015. There will be exceptional exhibits, and many mineral dealers. I can assure you that the quality level will be higher than most places on the internet.

[Joseph DOliveira]

[bob kerr]

like Casimer said - this is impossible but there are a few localities with specific types of fluorites that are clearly definitive. here's my shot at it - I think the better specimens from these localities are potential "Fluorite Flagship" pieces.

my opinion again - try to find large, well defined, single crystals - gemmy and lustrous. Many localities either lack size, lack luster (like Riemvaasmak as many are etched from quartz so the luster is flat) or occur in busy groups of crystals (like the China localities below as well as Rogerley and Asturias - but like in The Man of La Mancha - it's the quest!).

here goes:.

- a clear, colorless, perfect cube from Dalnegorsk
- pick your favorite color - or color schemes - and get one of the better Ross Lillie Southern Illinois fluorites
- a gemmy bright deep purple Elmwood cube - maybe with associations although these detract from the fluorite
- a gemmy rich green group of cubes (or modified cubes) with one large standout xl from Xianghualing or Xianghuapu, China
- a pink gemmy octahedral from the alpine Alps - probably a bank breaker
- a top end Rogerley specimen
- a top end Asturias Spain specimen

there's other great localities - but these to me stand out.

your personal taste will determine what you think is "Flagship"

bob

[Casimir Sarisky]

[Casimir Sarisky]

[James Catmur]

If an English specimen is of interest you could also look at Greenlaws. They re-opened the mine for specimen production last year, but I think there has been some debate over control so all seems to have gone quiet. What I did see last year was nice and I uploaded a few that I saw, such as:
https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?p=39874#39874

I am not sure what will happen next but the locality has potential. Just to be clear I have no involvement in this venture!

[Tobi]

[Jordi Fabre]

Highly recommended reading: For the fluorite lovers: What are your favourite localities?

[James Catmur]

Great point Jordi, I had forgotten that discussion!

[Susan Robinson]

Here are a few fluorites that are difficult to find for sale, much less collect, but are classics in their own right:
Macomb, New York. Sea-green crystals in groups up to a half ton.
Madoc, Ontario - some larger crystals were water-clear with intense green areas.
Kongsberg, Norway - some were the same as those described above from Madoc.
Faraday mine, near Bancroft, Ontario. A small pocketed area yielded groups of very small, but extemely green, translucent octahedrons. The color was like dark creme de menthe liqueur.
Walworth, NY. The totally clear, colorless cubes from this locality are few, but fantastic.
Clay Center, Ohio. For brown-colored fluorite (nearly root beer color), this locality is great.

I hope this list is helpful,

Susan Robinson

[Pierre Joubert]

Hi Casimir. Fluorite is indeed a delightful specie of the mineral kingdom. If I was you, I would rather split my 'several hundred dollars' and do what Tobi does, collect a variety of fluorite from different areas. You can get a pretty good fluorite for under a $100. I hope you get what you are looking for.

[Tobi]

[Casimir Sarisky]

Well, it looks like there will be a chance that I could go to the Mineral Show in West Springfield, Massachusetts in August. It is a few days after my birthday so perhaps I will be my birthday gift. That way I can see many of the fluorite localities mentioned here in person.

[chris]

Hello Casimir,

Don't forget to have a look at mindat.org if you don't already know this website. This is a mineral database with plenty of photos of minerals. You can search the database by mineral and locality. Put apart in very big shows it is often difficult to get representative fluorite specimens from every localities as fluorite remains quite common.

I don't know if you are already aware of it, but some fluorite colors are light sensitive. the sensitivity depends on the color, but sometimes on the locality as well. So if you really want to start collecting fluorites it would be interesting for you to get documentation about it. I have a very good article at home. Unfortunately it is in French. There is a thread about light sensitive minerals in FMF here. Read it before attending the show because it might influence you in what you would like to buy. It is not aimed at discouraging, but on the opposite as making you aware that minerals (like a tee-shirt left in sunlight during August) are "alives". So a few tricks will allow you to keep them in good condition much longer.

Have fun

Chris

[Casimir Sarisky]

An update: I will be going to the East Coast Gem Show this August. I will look forward to browsing the numerous specimens for sale there.

Does anyone know if any dealers will be specializing in offering fluorite from various localities? The more I look online, the more I am interested in getting an bluish green Okorusu fluorite in pristine condition.