VANA09-55
Vanadinite
Mibladen, Morocco
Cabinet, 13.2 x 10.4 x 6.8 cm
SOLD
Two separate vanadinite clusters exist on either side of this matrix specimen which can be displayed vertically or horizontally as you prefer to show off one or both pockets. It obviously stuck out into pocket space, and so we have here really unusual coverage. The best crystals are those nestled in a vug: super lustrous, to 1.5 cm across, with good translucence. These brick-red, colorful crystals have the gemmy yellow-orange highlights typical of the pocket, on their edges. Many have a unique cogwheel or gear-like form. The second cluster, more exposed and pointing up and out from the other side, has crystals to 2.0 cm across. They are reddish-brown, and doubly terminated although with a lustrous, beige secondary coating of vanadinite on the backside. Careful trimming could result in two disparate but fine specimens. However, we thought it very dramatic to leave "as is" and illustrating how these pockets form in nature. While there is a small bit of damage to the crystals on the sides of the pocket cluster, the core is pristine and the other cluster also is complete. Really, then, you get a lot of color and crystal quality on this piece for the price, we felt.