Vanadinite (var: Arsenic-bearing Vanadinite) (ex Al Kidwell Collection)

Item Description

A classic and rarely seen arsenic-bearing Vanadinite specimen from Mibladen, Morocco. This locality is world famous for producing the finest Vanadinite crystals in the world, but they are often a bright red hue. These elusive arsenic-bearing crystals were found in the mid to late 1970s, and were never really found again in any great quantity. For reference, you'll sometimes see this material labeled as "Endlichite", which used to be a valid species, but it's all now defined as a variety of Vanadinite. This piece features fine quality, sharp, well-formed, robust, hexagonal prisms measuring up to 1.3 cm, sitting on minor matrix. The crystals range in color from a tarnished bronze hue to a pastel butterscotch color to a soft dusty yellow tone. The piece is in fantastic shape with no major damage that I can find. This is old material, very rarely seen on the market these days, you can only get them from old collections. Valued between $1,00-$1,250 retail. From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert (Al) Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974.