Vanadinite (unusual coloring)

Item Description

Vanadinite is a well-known secondary ore species, primarily due to the superb specimens that have been found at Mibladen over the last few decades. This mineral would be fairly under-represented on the market were it not for the specimens from Mibladen, the finest of which are certainly the pinnacle for the species, for size, color and quality. This piece is a gorgeous thumbnail featuring sharp, rather lustrous, well-formed, hexagonal crystals, with distinct color zoning showing a stark red "caps" on each basal termination, and the central portions of the crystals range from golden to brownish-red hues, with a small amount of "cat's eye"-like chatoyance in areas. This is not your typical style of coloring from this locality, as the crystals tend to be a solid color, with no zoning or chatoyance. The largest crystal measures 1.8 cm. It's a very showy and aesthetic specimen, with no major damage that I can find with the naked eye, and it's a fantastic thumbnail to boot. This one is certainly different and unique, and would make a great addition to any collection. From the collection of Colin Manlove.