Known since 1892 located on steep bushy hillsides of decomposing granite lies the famous Felix Mine fluorite veins. The fluorite crystals from this location show octahedral, etched, and cubic faces. They develop as either single crystals perched typically on quartz or decomposing granite or as clusters grouped closely together. Occasionally bladed white
barite will accompany fluorites from this mine along with the druzy white quartz, the quartz points are typically micro yet defined.
Most of the fluorites appear apple green, though a handful come out with blue, purple, or pink although they are typically blended with some of the expected apple green. As far as inclusions go galena, sphalerite and chalcopyrite have been recorded at this location, they are quite uncommon though. Through word of mouth amongst the miners they say if you have the patience and dig deep enough you can find malachite and cerussite- very few have been recovered and they are rarely seen on the modern market. They sometimes appear in the octahedral formation and can be displayed in a stacking formation. This is where smaller fluorite crystals in an octahedral pattern grow upwards on top of a main octahedral fluorite crystal typically attached to a matrix. The steeped growth and etched faces make these fluorites easily recognizable.
The Felix Mine has arguably produced some of the best fluorites in California, they are an anomaly worldwide for the strange and unusual location and formation of these fluorites. I mean who would have thought you could mine fluorite outside of Los Angeles California?
While mineral collectors have continued to visit and mine from the Felix Mine over the years the original find was collected solely by the Gochenor Brothers in the early 1990s. Pieces from both productions are rarely seen on the market even in California. The Gochenor Brothers documented that it was not as easy to mine to collect from. The mine was small and hard to work in, the rock matrix was difficult to break, and the veins were small and easy to fracture the fluorites. This made recovering them without damage insanely difficult. The mines are technically closed, though as I said, with rock hounds if there is a will, there's a way! So a few small deposits have been worked over the years in the mined hillside.
Over all these are old, rare, and highly representative of classic California materials.
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