Old beautiful polished slab of banded fluorite from Hunan (China). The bands are translucent and the colours alternate in yellow and blue, with areas of vivid purple and green.

This specimen has an interesting history, cause it was collected in late 1963, at the Albert Chanel (near Antwerp), where the fluorite that was transported from Shanghai on board of the Dzierzynski MV was stockpiled after the ship sank. On September 19th, 1963 the Dzierzynski collided with the Greek steamer Fouli off Ushant (Ouessant). Put into Brest for examination and temporary repairs. On arrival Flushing, further temporary repairs were carried out and a faulty sea valve repaired. At Antwerp, the Dzierzynski struck a pier at Baudouin Lock causing the sea valve to collapse and flood the engine room. She was subsequently beached at Lillo and on the falling tide a crack appeared in No.2 hatch (wrecksite. eu site). There, the Dzierzynski was dismantled and the fluorite cargo was transported to the banks of the Albert Chanel in Wijnegem (Van hee, 2008). The site was soon discovered by happy, local collectors that stockpiled nice banded blue john fluorite, that are relatively abundant in Belgian collections mostly as unpolished pieces.

Ex Albert Van hee collection.

Van hee, P. (2008). Fluoriet en talk uit China Na 45 jaar de geheimen helemaal onthuld. Geonieuws 33(9), Nov, 184-192.

Combine specimens to reduce shipping costs!.