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A large fluorescent calcite specimen from Challenger Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, from the Liebetrau Collection. This calcite rhomb displays a beautiful translucent pale pink appearance under normal lighting.
Under longwave UV, the calcite produces a bright bubblegum hot pink color known to collectors from this locality. Challenger Cave is a classic locality near Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The cave system was historically a prolific source of exceptionally clear, strongly fluorescent calcite, but the locality is now reported to be inaccessible, making available specimens older material from previous collecting. Challenger Cave material is known as extraordinary Terlingua-type calcite due to its long afterglow and notable for exceptionally clean cleavage faces, clarity and transparency.
Ex. Liebetrau Collection
This specimen originates from the renowned collection of Albert M. “Al” and Suzanne “Sue” Liebetrau, who spent more than six decades assembling a world-class collection of fine minerals from around the globe. Particularly celebrated for their exceptional fluorescent minerals, the Liebetraus built what has been described as one of the great fluorescent mineral collections in the United States, with specimens selected for quality, rarity, aesthetics, and locality significance.
They were nicknamed "Yooperlites" which is derived from the name “yooper”. A yooper is a nickname for the Upper Peninsula natives and these fluorescent stones quickly gained fame. After data was published on these fluorescent stones, it was discovered that sodalite is the actual true mineral that is fluorescing orange.
365nm UV light is often called "blacklight". Before the advent of longwave UV LEDs, blacklight fluorescent tubes, (the kinds used in hippie days to light up psychedelic posters) were the standard longwave UV light for our hobby. They were not very powerful but they did light a large area.
Enter 365nm UV LEDs
First, an animation showing the difference between the UV flashlight we recommend (365nm filtered UV flashlight) versus unfiltered 395nm UV flashlights we see many folks carrying around at shows. So. much. visible purple light. We selected a bunch of rocks as a demonstration. Took pictures of them under his flashlight without the filter and then with the filter.
