Optically clear smoky quartz crystals on the top, pink fluorite octahedra
on the bottom (see below)! Size is 7.0x4.5x4.0 cm. Locality is, of course,
Mont Blanc, between France and Italy. The northern terminus of this sharp
ridge is in southwestern Switzerland, where I was told this specimen is
from. However, knowledgeable sources have told me that it is actually from
further south, on the French side above Les Contamines.
An interesting side note on this piece is that the 2 prominent quartz prisms
show clear X faces on at least 4 and 5 (respectively) of the upper left
corners, the classic "Dauphiné twin". Ding on the big prism, but still
mighty pretty!
Acquired at the 1994 Bourg d'Oisan Show.