Paravauxite with Sigloite (and one usual blue striped crystal!)

Item Description

These crystals are one of the most beautiful phosphates in the world. They are highly prized for their rarity and beauty. This is a fine quality specimen which features an attractive group of lustrous, water-green color Paravauxite crystals and some minor tan color Sigloite crystals on matrix. Sigloite forms as an alteration of Paravauxite. I found one very small but unique crystal of Paravauxite under the microscope which I have photographed. The crystal has two blue "stripes" running along corresponding sides of the prism face, and my assumption is that this may be a micro "wash" of another phosphate i.e., Vauxite or Vivianite. I have never seen a crystal quite like this from Bolivia or any other locality for Paravauxite. The largest Paravauxite crystal measures 7 mm. This specimen is from the type locality for both Paravauxite and Sigloite! Mark Chance Bandy described Paravauxite crystals in his book "Mineralogy of Llallagua, Bolivia". He states that Paravauxite is the most abundant of all the "Vauxites" from this mine," and with that said, you almost never see specimens, especially pieces that are larger than thumbnails available on the market. This piece is a great example of the prismatic, sheaf-like parallel growths that Mr. Bandy described. To find a piece of this size with so many great quality crystals is nearly unheard of these days. A really cool specimen of this classic phosphate.