Reviews
3.75" Polished, Orange Creamsicle Calcite Sphere - Mexico
This is a vibrant, 3.75" wide polished sphere of orange calcite from Nuevo León, Mexico. The sphere has been expertly shaped and polished to a glossy finish, allowing its swirling bands of tangerine, honey, and soft golden hues to glow beautifully in the light. Its translucency gives it a soft internal radiance.
This piece comes with an acrylic ring display stand, ready for effortless presentation right out of the box.
This piece comes with an acrylic ring display stand, ready for effortless presentation right out of the box.
Orange Calcite From Nuevo León, Mexico
Orange calcite from Nuevo León, Mexico is prized for its vivid, warm coloration—ranging from soft peach to rich tangerine—and its excellent translucency. The most famous deposits occur in the northern part of the state, particularly around the municipalities of Galeana, Aramberri, and Doctor Arroyo, where limestone-rich mountain ranges host thick calcite-bearing veins. These veins formed as mineral-rich fluids moved through fractures in Cretaceous limestones, precipitating bands of orange calcite enriched with iron oxides that give the stone its characteristic color.
Commercial mining of calcite in Nuevo León began expanding in the late 20th century as demand for decorative stones, carvings, and lapidary material grew. By the 1990s and early 2000s, small family-run operations throughout the region were supplying rough orange calcite to artisans in both Mexico and the United States. Many of these operations still function today, often passing knowledge and claim rights down through generations.
The material is typically extracted from open-pit quarries and small hillside cuts, where miners remove overburden to expose calcite veins running through host rock. Large blocks are separated using chisels, hand tools, and light machinery, then transported to local workshops where they are trimmed, sawed, and polished into spheres, towers, freeforms, and other decorative shapes. Because the veins can vary widely in thickness and color saturation, miners must work carefully to follow the most vibrant material and avoid fracturing the stone.
Orange calcite from Nuevo León, Mexico is prized for its vivid, warm coloration—ranging from soft peach to rich tangerine—and its excellent translucency. The most famous deposits occur in the northern part of the state, particularly around the municipalities of Galeana, Aramberri, and Doctor Arroyo, where limestone-rich mountain ranges host thick calcite-bearing veins. These veins formed as mineral-rich fluids moved through fractures in Cretaceous limestones, precipitating bands of orange calcite enriched with iron oxides that give the stone its characteristic color.
Commercial mining of calcite in Nuevo León began expanding in the late 20th century as demand for decorative stones, carvings, and lapidary material grew. By the 1990s and early 2000s, small family-run operations throughout the region were supplying rough orange calcite to artisans in both Mexico and the United States. Many of these operations still function today, often passing knowledge and claim rights down through generations.
The material is typically extracted from open-pit quarries and small hillside cuts, where miners remove overburden to expose calcite veins running through host rock. Large blocks are separated using chisels, hand tools, and light machinery, then transported to local workshops where they are trimmed, sawed, and polished into spheres, towers, freeforms, and other decorative shapes. Because the veins can vary widely in thickness and color saturation, miners must work carefully to follow the most vibrant material and avoid fracturing the stone.
$115
