Minerals from China

China has become one of the most important sources of mineral specimens in recent decades, particularly since the 1990s when collecting and exporting became more widespread.

The country produces a wide variety of minerals across several provinces. The Yaogangxian mine in Hunan is well known for its fluorite, cassiterite, scheelite, and stibnite – with many specimens showing excellent clarity and sharp crystallisation. Some of the fluorite from here is remarkably transparent, often with purple or green zoning.

The Wuzhou and Xianghualing areas have also produced fine fluorite, often in combination with quartz, calcite, or sphalerite. Stibnite from Jiangxi Province, especially from the Wuning and Lushi areas, is among the best in the world – long, lustrous crystals that can reach impressive sizes.

There are also good specimens of pyromorphite from the Daoping mine in Guangxi, often forming bright green barrel-shaped crystals. Hemimorphite, aurichalcite, azurite, and smithsonite have been found in several Chinese localities as well, although the material is variable in quality.

Quartz is extremely common and often well-formed. Some localities have produced sceptre quartz, amethyst, and smoky quartz, occasionally with attractive inclusions.

Chinese specimens can be excellent, but provenance is sometimes inconsistent. Locality names may be vague or mistranslated, and labelling is not always reliable, especially on older exports.

I also find that even in more recent times, some Chinese sellers are very wary of revealing the locale of their finds. Whether this is because they do not know and are only acting as agents, or they are illegally mined, or untaxed, or something else, I am not sure.

China