Calcite

specimen number:
2063347

location:
Gillfoot Park & Helder Mines, Egremont, Copeland, Cumbria, England, UK

description:
Absolute gem of a British classic, this a loose glassy water clear gemmy colorless twinned crystal of calcite. Sharply formed and in very good condition all around. No matrix attached and just slightly cleaved on the bottom of the crystal. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark, he acquired the piece from the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum in 1995. This is said to be ex Heinrich collection.

Situated in the West Cumbria mining district near Egremont, Copeland, Cumbria, England, the Gillfoot Park and Helder mines are historical iron operations that extracted rich hematite deposits hosted within Carboniferous limestone formations. Extensive underground mining during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries targeted these primary iron ores, but the mines also gained international renown among mineral collectors for producing magnificent calcite crystals. Gillfoot Park, in particular, became world-famous for its incredible, highly lustrous twin calcite specimens, including iconic butterfly twins and flattened disc-like formations that perched elegantly on contrasting reddish hematite matrix, making the locality one of Britain's most celebrated historic mineral sites.

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