Fine Golden Fluorite with Phantoming


Rosiclaire, Hardin County IllinoisFluorite was mined underground in a mining district in southeastern Illinois, especially in Hardin and Pope Counties. Cave-in-Rock, Elizabethtown and Rosiclare, all located on the banks of the Ohio River, were the major towns of the mining district. The fluorite occurred both as a replacement of flat-lying layers of limestone, and as fillings in nearly vertical fissures or faults cutting across the limestone layers. The present specimen is an old one, probably mined in the 1970s. It shows true perfection of form, having classic interlocking cubic crystals with complex faces. The color is a deep, teal blue at the edges with a phantoming of purple and interior of rich, golden color. Displaying particularly fine glassy luster and rich saturation of color, this classic small cabinet-sized specimen comprises several cubic yellow fluorite crystals with large faces and purple phantoming at the edges. Measuring 3 x 3 x 1 1/2 in