FLUORITE

Famous as one of the most important Fluorite-producing localities in the US - firstly, from 1890 as an industrial flux for steel-making and latterly as a specimen and gem-Fluorite mine - William Wise mine in New Hampshire is one of the few places, even worldwide, where large crystals of green Fluorite are found. This extremely large, albeit crudely-formed, pyramidal/octahedral translucent pale emerald-green Fluorite shows the dramatic scale of the William Wise crystals. Representing one side of a crystal, some 14 cm wide, its faces are naturally etched, something which is a common feature of the crystals from there. This is certainly not a perfect individual Fluorite crystal, but an important representation of the sheer size that crystals can attain. Ex Arvid Pasto Collection.