TERRIUM — A mineralogy cabinet


Fluorita Rosa

Fluorita is a mineral with formula CaF₂, in the Haluros group. This specimen comes from La Cabaña, Berbes, Ribadesella, Asturias, España and joined the Terrium collection in 2017.

Fluorita Rosa from La Cabaña, Berbes, Ribadesella, Asturias, España — Terrium

Description

Three twinned cubic crystals with sharp edges, arranged stepwise along the upper edge of the matrix. Smooth faces and a pink–violet tone with slight zoning visible in transmitted light. Clean, precise aesthetics of high collector standard. Strong red fluorescence under UV light.

History of this specimen

The previous owner of this specimen, Jeff Goldsberry, was a prominent member of the Colorado mineralogical community. Associated with the Flatirons Mineral Club and representative to the Council of Mineralogical Societies of Denver, he was known for the crystallographic and technical quality of his pieces, as is this fluorite from Berbes.

About Fluorita

Berbes fluorite is one of the classic reference varieties worldwide. Its well-defined cubic crystals, with violet, bluish or pink zoning, set an aesthetic standard in 20th-century European collecting and remain a benchmark for fluorite on carbonate matrix.

About the locality

Berbes is one of the classic world localities for fluorite. Its hydrothermal veins in Palaeozoic limestones produced high-quality cubic crystals, with colours ranging from violet to blue or pink. The district was mined mainly for industrial fluorite during the 20th century, but is especially known for its collector specimens.

Technical data

Catalogue No.
0192
Composition
CaF₂
Name
Fluorita
Variety
Rosa
Group
Haluros
Category
Lucimera
Associations
Barita Cuarzo
Mine
La Cabaña
District / Municipality
Berbes
Province
Ribadesella
Region
Asturias
Country
España
Size (cm)
5.5 x 4.5 x 4
Weight
83 g
Acquired
2017
Ex-collection
Jeff Goldsberry
Etymology
From the Latin "fluere", "to flow", alluding to its use as a flux in metallurgy.
Quality
Top
Value trend
Al alza

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