Illinois Fluorite (Best Available)
Purple Fluorite from Illinois. Because we have several pieces available for sale, the specimen you recieve may slightly differ from the display photograph. We will choose the best piece available at the time of your purchase.
Measurements: ~Range from 1-1/2" to 2-1/2" each
Location: Cave in Rock, Hardin County, Illinois
Fluorite is the "State Mineral" of Illinois. Fluorite forms in a variety of colors and is transparent to translucent in clarity. The chemical composition of Fluorite is CaF2, (calcium & fluorine.) The variation in colors are due to trace amounts of other elements replacing the calcium during the crystalline formation.
Fluorite is used in a variety of industrial purposes and the overwhelming percentage of Fluorite in the United States was mined in Illinois and Kentucky. Illinois became the leading Fluorite producer in the early 1940's, but during the 1990's, 90% of the U.S. Fluorite was imported with Illinois remaining the last U.S. producer.
Fluorite was was mined deep underground with many of the mines over 1,200 feet deep. The last Illinois mine was capped and flooded in 1995.