Fluorapatite with Quartz

specimen number:
1052532

location:
Ehrenfriedersdorf, Saxony, Germany

description:
Classic German specimen with an attractive tabular partly gemmy and lustrous purple crystal of fluorapatite 1.0 cm across set on crystallized quartz. Some damage present to the quartz crystals, this still quite nice. The fluorapatite crystal is brightly fluorescent. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and dates to the early 20th century, if not earlier.

The Ehrenfriedersdorf mining district, located in the Erzgebirge Mountains of Saxony, Germany, is a world-renowned mineralogical site with a history of tin mining dating back to the 13th century. Geologically, the deposit is centered on the Sauberg, where a late-Hercynian granite intrusion created an extensive system of greisen and hydrothermal veins. These veins, which cut through gneiss and schist, are primarily composed of quartz, cassiterite, and wolframite, formed by highly pressurized, fluorine-rich fluids during the final stages of magmatic cooling. Historically, the Sauberg Mine was the industrial heart of the region until its final closure in 1990 following the reunification of Germany. The locality is particularly famous among collectors for its exceptional fluorapatite crystals, which are prized for their intense violet to deep purple color and sharp, tabular or short-prismatic habits. Often found in association with silvery muscovite (variety zinnwaldite) and glassy quartz, these purple apatite specimens are considered some of the finest examples of the species ever found in Europe, representing a classic hallmark of the Saxon Erzgebirge.

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