Yellow Fluorite with Baryte - Le Rossignol mine, Chaillac, Indre, France - Height: 21.0 cm - Width: 11.0 cm- 4443 g

Watch a video of this specimen by following the Vimeo link below: https://vimeo.com/1118527597/42171f11f3

When thinking of fine French fluorites, one locality is almost always overlooked, the Rossignol mine in Chaillac.
This prominent fluorite deposit was mined through the XXth century, until the shut down in 1997 and produced what is probably the best pyromorphite and cerussite specimens in the country, although exceedingly rare on the market.
Fluorite specimens were common, as lustrous crystals in combination with baryte yet almost always of unattractive grayish color.
However, in the 1980's, a few pockets produced absolutely remarkable fluorite crystals displaying light pink color and yellow core zonation. Those instantly became classics for French fluorite and were jealously guarded by collectors at the time.

Here is a striking large specimen of quite rare honey yellow fluorite featuring big cubes with nice polysynthetic surface and internal dissolution patterns, in combination with sprays of pinkish baryte totally coated in sparkling micro fluorite!
Note the sulphide (galena mostly) inclusions zonation near the outer edge of the fluorite crystals, a signature from the deposit.

Very hard tio come by in this colour and size from the locality, a nice French fluorite!

Ex coll. O. Fumery.
O. Fumery gathered up over 30 years an extensive collection of about 600 accurately selected French minerals, including rare localities and outstanding regional specimens.