Vauxite with Childrenite (new find)

Item Description

This piece is a remarkable, very well crystallized, ridiculously rare, specimen consisting of small, bladed, beautiful blue color, radiating aggregates of Vauxite on minor clay (probably decomposed Allophane) matrix. There are also some very tiny spots of brownish-tan Childrenite on the specimen as well. I have photographed the Vauxite crystals under the microscope to show that they are truly terminated crystals and not just a mass. It is very difficult to obtain any specimens of this incredibly beautiful phosphate, especially with such rich color. This piece is from the type locality for Vauxite which was originally discovered along the Contacto and San Jose veins in this mine and first described by Sam Gordon and Mark Bandy. It is so unbelievably rare to find vibrant, beautifully crystallized specimens of Vauxite from Bolivia like this one.