Minerals: Fluorite
Locality: Berbes Mining Area, Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain
Dimensions: 84mm x 52mm x 30mm
Weight:  139.7g

Berbes is one of the classic European fluorite localities, historically producing some of Spain's most recognisable violet fluorite. Mining across the district has now ceased, and the original workings are abandoned. The district became particularly noted for violet cubic fluorite with strong internal colour zoning, frequently associated with quartz and barite. 

This is a substantial cabinet specimen at nearly 140g, composed of intergrown cubic fluorite crystals with unusually good transparency for their size. The colour moves through pale lavender into considerably richer violet, with particularly strong zoning visible through the larger crystals, particularly when backlit. Some of the crystals show very clear darker purple edges and internal geometric zones, while others become almost luminous through their thinner margins.

The growth is highly aesthetic. Cubic faces are occasionally interrupted by stepped and modified edges, producing overlapping angular forms throughout the specimen. The specimen is not pristine, and there is edge wear on some crystals - visible in the photographs.

It remains a strong Berbes example because the important qualities are still present in abundance, particularly the size, transparency, saturated violet colour, zoning and overall density of crystallisation.