Vanadinite - Specimen

Locality: Mibladen Mining District, Morocco

About thirty years later the Swedish chemist Nils Gabriel Sefström found an unknown element in iron ore from Taberg, Sweden, and it was named vanadium after Vanadís, a name of the Norse goddess Freyja. Friedrich Wöhler then showed that vanadium was the same element del Río had found in the Zimapán brown lead, the mineral we now call vanadinite.

After the industrial lead mines closed, between about 1976 and 1980 depending on the account, former miners turned to digging mineral specimens. The trade grew through the 1980s and 1990s around Midelt, and Mibladen became one of the world's best-known sources of vanadinite.

It forms as a secondary mineral in the oxidised zone of lead deposits, where vanadium leached from the surrounding rock combines with lead. The Handbook of Mineralogy lists Mibladen among the world's localities for large vanadinite crystals. It also notes that the original type specimen was lost at sea.

This one of a kind Vanadinite specimen from Morocco features deep reddish-brown to nearly black, glossy crystal clusters scattered across a pale cream and rusty red matrix. The crystals show strong geometric form, with many sharp, blocky, hexagonal-tabular faces that catch the light beautifully against the earthy host rock. Its broad matrix plate gives the piece a natural landscape-like presentation, with clustered Vanadinite growths arranged across the surface for excellent visual contrast.

Originally discovered in Mexico in 1801, Vanadinite an uncommon, and curious mineral. It contains the previously undiscovered element, Vanadium, and is classified as a secondary mineral, occurring only as the result of chemical alterations to pre-existing materials, primarily the oxidation of lead rich minerals such as galena, or barite.

Vanadinite is sometimes called the "caffeine crystal" used to boost energy, mental focus, and creativity, often acting as a grounding tool for manifesting ideas into reality. It connects deeply with the root and sacral chakras, aiding in discipline, overcoming procrastination, and providing endurance for long projects.

Chemical Composition: Pb5(VO4)3Cl

Quantity: 1pc
With this product, you will get the actual stone in the photograph.