There have been several posts i our FB group lately about this fluorite listed on eBay as “Black Rose” from China sellers. Specific locale unknown. The pictures seemed unbelievable so I had to get one for myself to see. They are kind of believable, for a little while. Shown under 365nm LW, SW, and white light, dollar for scale. I was thinking the crystals covering the fluorite are calcite but now question, haven’t done any testing yet. The LW pic was taken with high power LEDs, and fresh after being recharged (see below).

Interesting on this piece are veins of blue within the broken matrix. Like Mapimi fluorite, long exposure to LW UV causes the red to fade. But exposing it to SW UV “recharges” it back to its original brightness, but seems that eventually this recharging will no longer work. I find the velvety red color quite attractive. Not the brightest guy on the block, but respectable.

But – check the comparison image, comparing the rock after multiple lengths of time under LW and SW:

The comparison image below shows the various states after long exposure to 365nm LEDs. After 24 hours of exposure to very powerful LW 365nm LEDs the piece has turned almost completely blue except for a couple of very stubborn spots of dim red. Attempting to “recharge” with SW for 24 hours only resulted in some areas returning to the red color, with a much dimmer response. I broke this rock.

There have been several comments saying that these pieces have been irradiated. Has anyone confirmed this, and if so, how? Based on my tests and comments in our FB group, it seems that these pieces are irradiated.

Originally posted by Mark Cole and Chris Clemens on Nature’s Rainbows.