Fluorite and Galena

This is an old stock specimen of Rogerley fluorite, and it has a bit of everything going on. At first glance the single cube looks almost like it has a black core wrapped in a frosty green exterior, but hold a light behind it and the illusion falls away. It's actually quite translucent throughout. Along one face, partially embedded galena octahedrons add another layer of interest. They've weathered heavily over time and are now coated in what is presumably hydrocerussite, a natural byproduct of galena alteration. A small cluster of quartz rounds out the piece, and the combination of all three minerals makes for a well balanced, visually layered specimen.

Rogerley Mine has been a staple of England's mineral specimen production for decades, tracing back to the 1970s when collectors Lindsay Greenbank and Mike Sutcliffe rediscovered the abandoned 19th century limestone quarry. Since then it has become the only mine in Britain worked commercially specifically for mineral specimens, and its fluorite, known for a distinctive daylight fluorescence, has become a fixture in collections worldwide.