Fluorite

A beautiful miniature plate of zoned fluorite crystals from Larkin’s Quarry (Joe Larkin’s Quarry), County Galway, Ireland. The piece is covered with numerous sharp, lustrous, gemmy fluorite crystals displaying predominantly cubic faces with subtle modifications along the edges. Individual crystals reach about 8 mm and show attractive colour zoning, with a richer purple band along the outer edges and a paler interior that becomes especially evident when backlit.

This distinctive blue-purple fluorite was discovered in 2015 within late-stage mineral pockets in the granite at Larkin’s Quarry, a privately owned operation where collecting is not permitted. Specimens are only recovered occasionally through arrangements with the quarry owners, making material from this occurrence relatively scarce on the market. The sharp zoning and attractive colour seen here make this a particularly fine miniature example of this unusual Irish fluorite locality. From the international collection of Robert Yeoman.