Spanish Fluorite from Emilio Mine

Emilio Mine, in Loroñe, Colunga, Asturias, sits at the northern end of the Obdulia vein, the best-known fluorite locality along this roughly five-kilometer vein. The Obdulia vein is noted for the complex variety of crystal habits from its different mines, and Emilio stands out for transparency and luster.

Its fluorite forms water-clear cubes, from colorless to pale sky blue and lavender, often slightly compressed along one axis rather than perfectly equant, a signature of the locality. Under lighting of different color temperatures, the color can subtly shift between blue and violet. The fluorite often grows with white bladed barite and sharp dogtooth calcite, occasionally dotted with tiny pyrite, layers of white, translucent blue and silver-gray in a soft, elegant composition.