Description

This is a fantastic vivianite from the 2019 find at the Rosia Poieni Mine, one of the great European discoveries in recent years. As Tom Moore wrote of these specimens, the best rival the great Bolivian vivianites. To my knowledge, this is one of the largest crystals from the find – it is a major vivianite crystal from anywhere, and stunning for Europe.

This vivianite crystal is a gorgeous transparent green hue, and the colour is certainly apparent without strong backlighting. I’ve included photos here with all levels of backlighting, from none to fully backlit. The crystal is sharp and lustrous with a beautiful termination – it is complete all-around, with a bit of matrix along the bottom (the seventh photo is rom the back side, well-developed faces all around, with an almost etch-growth-like feature).

From the Gerald Panneton collection. In excellent condition overall. The crystal has a couple of micro-spilts in it (as happens to vivianite) – these are close to the top of the crystal and they are over top of the matrix – the matrix is firmly attached across the bottom of the crystal. The upper left side of the crystal seems to me to be a cleavage face – parallel to the crystal faces and not obvious from the main viewing angle as displayed.

An important note about vivianite: it is light-sensitive and prolonged exposure to light will darken it. It should therefore be kept in the dark – it should not be kept out in a display cabinet and should never be in sunlight – it’s one of those minerals one brings out into the cabinet when mineral friends visit! This one will absolutely blow them away…