A beautiful collector specimen of Purple Creedite from the renowned Qinglong Mine in Guizhou Province, China, completely alive with soft lavender colour and an incredible sugary sparkle.
Across the specimen, countless fine Creedite crystals gather into radiating sprays and delicate rosette-like clusters, creating an almost floral landscape of pale lilac, blush pink and deeper violet. In the light, the tiny glassy crystal faces catch individually, giving the entire piece a shimmering, frost-like appearance. Warm golden and earthy areas of matrix provide a beautiful contrast against the cooler purple crystallisation.
Creedite is an uncommon calcium aluminium sulfate-fluoride mineral, and the Qinglong Mine — also known as the Dachang Mine, within the Dachang antimony ore field — is one of China's important localities for the species. The locality is known for Creedite ranging from colourless and pale yellow through lavender and deeper purple, with purple material being particularly desirable among collectors.
This specimen is especially lovely for the density of its crystallisation. Rather than a handful of isolated crystals, the surface is covered in overlapping sprays, tiny pockets and rounded aggregates, giving it wonderful depth and texture when viewed closely. Purple Creedite specimens from Qinglong are documented with this characteristic sparkling, radiating habit, and richer purple examples are considerably less common than the colourless material from the locality.
Provenance: Qinglong Mine (Dachang Mine), Dachang Sb ore field, Qinglong County, Qianxinan, Guizhou Province, China Mineral: Creedite Colour: Lavender to soft purple
A distinctly collector-worthy Chinese mineral specimen, combining an important locality, an unusual mineral species and that beautifully delicate purple crystallisation for which Qinglong Creedite is prized.
7cm by 4.5cm.
Please note: As this is a natural mineral specimen, variations in colour, crystal formations, inclusions, contact points, natural cavities, fractures and markings are part of its unique character. Colours may appear slightly lighter or darker in person and can vary depending on lighting conditions and screen settings.
