Vivianite (fine gemmy crystal) (classic material)

Item Description

Here we have a fantastic piece from the famed Morococala Mine in Bolivia. In the early 1980s this mine produced some of the largest and most spectacular Vivianite specimens in Bolivian history. I was told stories that there were plates of crystals just pouring out of the mine for a brief period of time, and unterminated crystal sections that were nearly a foot thick in places!. Then the mine manager decided that the miners were too distracted collecting Vivianite and not attending to their duties underground, so he decided to blow up the entire section of the mine where the Vivianite was being collected, thus greatly limiting the number of specimens that would make their way to the market. This piece is one of the last specimens to come out the Morococala during the "Vivianite Boom". It features a lustrous, sharp, prismatic deep green crystal sitting atop the typical iridescent Pyrite coated matrix. The size and quality is excellent for this locality, with no damage I can find. When backlit, a vivid emerald green color and good gemminess can be seen inside, a great characteristic of this elusive material. These piece are no longer being mined and they are incredibly difficult to find on the market today. Don't let this great, old display specimen slip away.
Valued $5,000.

From the collection of Gary and Terry Butts of Livermore, Colorado. This husband and wife collecting duo were childhood sweethearts, and have been together since they began dating as teenagers growing up in East Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950s. Both of them had an early interest in the hobby thanks to the fact that Terry's parents had a keen interest in lapidary, which sparked an interest in rocks for both of them. Gary and Terry were featured in an article in the Des Moines Register on Feb 4, 1962 (see photo in this listing) highlighting their interest and prowess in the hobby as youngsters. Gary traveled to various localities around the US as a teenager with his father (who worked in the tin industry), to personally collect specimens. He then attended the School of Mines in Golden, Colorado and graduated in 1967 with a degree in extractive metallurgical engineering. We went to work for Duval Corp at the Esperanza Mine south of Tucson, Arizona and then work for Cyprus Mines, Hazen Research, Pincock, Allen & Holt and the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute. His final job was in the mineral and environmental division of Intertek Testing Services of London, which owned the Canadian mineral testing company, Bonder Clegg. Gary's various jobs allowed him to travel the world and build his collection by buying a lot of specimens in person when they were coming out of the ground. Additionally, Terry's uncle was a miner in Creede, Colorado and later owned a rock shop which supplied Gary with specimens from the area. The specimens in this auction represent what Gary and Terry considered the "cream of the crop" of their collection.