Fluorite with Siderite

specimen number:
1052357

location:
Alston Moor, Cumbria, England, UK

description:
Attractive yellow and light purple gemmy cubic crystals of fluorite measuring to 2.5 cm in size across the top and back of matrix. Accented nicely with crystallized siderite. Some damage present as seen. The specimen comes with an antique label that dates this to the 19th century. At one time the specimen was part of the collection of Wilhelm Hoyer.

Mining at Alston Moor in Cumbria, England has a long history dating back to Roman times, with major development occurring from the 17th through the 19th centuries. The district became one of the most important lead mining areas in Britain, working hydrothermal veins that cut Carboniferous limestone and sandstone. Galena was the principal ore mineral, often containing significant silver, and was mined from numerous small underground operations scattered across the moor. The area is also well known among mineral collectors for fine specimens of fluorite, calcite, and other secondary minerals from this classic northern England mining district.

Wilhelm Hoyer was a 19th century German mineral collector and dealer who was active during a period when systematic mineral collecting and scientific study were expanding across Europe. He handled and distributed mineral specimens from important mining regions such as the Harz Mountains and the Erzgebirge of Saxony. Hoyer supplied specimens to collectors, universities, and museums, and many minerals he sold were accompanied by printed or handwritten labels that are still recognized today. Original Hoyer labels are valued by collectors because they provide historical provenance for specimens from classic European mining districts.

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