The Elmwood Mine in Tennessee was once an important economic resource location for zinc, but more importantly for those who love minerals and beauty of the mineral world, it was also famous for calcite and fluorite specimens. This is a classic specimen from its 1980s heyday, from the collection of longtime mine geologist Walt Gaylord. His collection, at its height before being sold in the early 2000s, was one of only a few spanning the important history of the mine. The piece has no repairs, and is dramatic on display. Of aesthetic form from any angle and complete all around. The iconic Elmwood Calcite style is exactly what you see here - showing a gorgeous, intensely colored amber crystal on dark matrix (of crystallized sphalerite, which is the zinc ore they were mining commercially here). The crystal is undamaged save for a few tiny restorations. The most important part of the aesthetics here is perhaps the color contrast of the golden calcite upon its stark sparkling black matrix, in a perfect complement to one another. The large amber crystal of calcite glows from across a room with backlighting. With a custom milled lucite display base. 18 x 15 x 13cm. (7 x 5.9 x 5.1in.) and 2.5kg.

Ex Walt Gaylord collection