DENTON MINE — MINED AUGUST 1994

DENTON MINE — MINED AUGUST 1994

This one has everything I love about classic Illinois fluorite. A gorgeous cluster of amber-gold and bluish-purple zoned fluorite cubes, accented by chalcopyrite, calcite, and touches of green malachite alteration. The combination of colors and minerals gives this piece incredible character from every angle.

But the history makes it even better. This specimen was mined in August 1994, just before the permanent closure of the legendary Denton Mine in Hardin County, Illinois. That puts it right at the end of an incredible chapter in American mineral collecting.

The Denton Mine became famous for producing world-class fluorite with exceptional cubic form, glassy luster, and dramatic color zoning. Here, that warm amber core framed by bluish-purple edges is absolutely killer—and the flashes of metallic chalcopyrite and green malachite take the piece to another level.

A beautiful specimen. A legendary locality. And a piece of Illinois mining history.

Fluorite specimen from Denton Mine, Hardin County, Illinois, USA.