Vauxite with Paravauxite and Metavauxite (very rare)

Item Description

From the find of 2006, this is undoubtedly one of the most significant and momentous discoveries ever made at this locality. Not since the days of World War II has there been such a remarkable find of this material. These are simply put, some of the largest overall Vauxite specimens in the world, but the greatest aspect of these pieces is two-fold. First, the Vauxite itself is associated with micro fibrous "strands" of the super rare phosphate Metavauxite, plus tabular micro crystals of Paravauxite - some of which have altered to Sigloite - and small whitish spheres of Wavellite which means that these are just a dream for phosphate collectors. There are also some small gem Quartz crystals on most of the specimen found as well, which is really a nice touch to this already amazing piece. It is incredibly rare to have FIVE individual phosphate species all on one specimen, and the fact that this mine is the TYPE LOCALITY for Vauxite, Paravauxite, Sigloite and Metavauxite makes it all the better. These species were first described by Sam Gordon and Mark Bandy, and found along the Contacto Vein of the Siglo XX Mine. The second significant attribute of this specimen is the fact that they formed on a solid Quartz-Diorite porphyry matrix, and not crumbly clay (after Allophane) which means that they are much more sturdy and allows the pieces to be displayed with ease. Now you must note that despite the sturdy matrix, the crystals themselves are somewhat brittle and must be handled with care. Nonetheless, this is a MAJOR discovery of these incredibly rare minerals, the likes of which I've never seen from Bolivia, or any other world locality. We have photographed the Vauxite crystals under high magnification to show that they are truly terminated crystals and not just a blue mass. We have also photographed the Paravauxite and Metavauxite crystals under the microscope. It is very difficult to obtain any specimens of this incredibly beautiful phosphate and to find all three "Vauxites" together on one piece is amazing. It is so unbelievably rare to find good size, beautifully crystallized matrix specimens of Vauxite from Bolivia like this one. This piece was valued at $2,500 in the inventory, and is one of the largest specimens on this incredibly rare association in the world.