Rhodochrosite with fluorite and pyrite — Wutong, 353 g

Description

This hand-sized specimen shows abundant pink to salmon-coloured rhodochrosite crystalline areas across a pale white-to-grey matrix, with a rough, intergrown surface and blocky to plate-like crystal faces visible in places. Scattered translucent-to-colourless fluorite crystals and a few small greenish patches — plus small pyrite patches — occur across the front. Measuring H 12 × W 6.5 × D 5 cm and weighing 353 g, the piece is mounted on a clear acrylic stand. The overall surface is irregular rather than uniformly smooth, with crystal areas forming clustered, blocky growths rather than isolated, individual terminations. Fluorite is calcium fluoride (CaF2) and commonly forms cubic crystals; some fluorite specimens show fluorescence under ultraviolet light, though UV behaviour varies between individual pieces. The combination of pink–salmon rhodochrosite with fluorite and pyrite gives a multi‑mineral appearance typical of mixed mineral assemblages from the region.