Vauxite with Paravauxite and Childrenite

Item Description

This piece is an attractive, well crystallized, ridiculously rare, specimen consisting of small, bladed, beautiful blue color, radiating aggregates of Vauxite coated by with tabular blades of greenish-white Paravauxite on crumbly white clay (probably decomposed Allophane) matrix. There are also some very tiny spots of brownish-tan Childrenite. We have photographed the Vauxite and Paravauxite crystals under a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens to show that they are truly terminated crystals and not just a mass. It is very difficult to obtain any specimens of these incredibly beautiful phosphates and to find two "Vauxite" species together on one piece is fantastic. This piece is from the type locality for Vauxite and Paravauxite which were 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 good size, beautifully crystallized specimens of Vauxite and Paravauxite together from Bolivia.