Detailed Description

This is a nice arrangement with the vanadinite crystals on matrix, and a dominant beautifully-coloured crystal rising up as the main focal point. The specimen has some tan-colouration on the crystals, but the photographs probably over-emphasize that – it’s really orange-red to red when you look at it in person, because unless you have it on a very high shelf, you are looking down on in from a slightly higher angle the angle of the photographs. The main crystal (comprising the two “peaks” in the one photo) is 0.8cm across. Great little specimen!

About these Vanadinites and the ACF Mine Workings

These are top quality miniature specimens of vanadinite crystals from the Mibladen Mining District, the source of the world’s best vanadinite. They are from one of the main localities for the vanadinite specimens, known as the ACF Mine Workings – underground tunnels and workings, created by specimen miners in search of vanadinite. These workings are accessed from the original ACF Mine incline/shaft. If you’d like to see more about the Mibladen Mining District, including photos of some of the vanadinite workings, see Morocco: The Northern Sahara and the Atlas Mountains (Part 2). (Note, the big hole depicted in the first photograph in the other half of the article – see Part 1 –  is also a vanadinite specimen-mining operation.)