Weight: 1400g

Dimensions: 15.2 x 7.5 x 5 cm

Largest Crystal Size: 2.5 x 1.5 cm

This commanding vanadinite specimen is a crown jewel from the historic gem-quality vanadinite pocket discovered in 2019 by Moroccan miner @Abdou_mineral and his brothers. Exhibiting a dense field of fully terminated, highly lustrous red-gold hexagonal crystals, this piece captures the peak of vanadinite formation in both clarity and intensity of color.

Dozens of crystals—ranging from smaller, glowing prisms to a centerpiece measuring 2.5 x 1.5 cm—form a sculptural lattice across the matrix. The crystals are zoned with amber and garnet hues, with visible internal brilliance under natural and artificial light. Unlike more common vanadinite clusters from Mibladen, these crystals are exceptionally transparent in sections, and highly reflective, indicating slow, uninterrupted formation within an anomalously rich hydrothermal vein.

From the Only Known Gem-Quality Pocket

This specimen is part of a geological one-off. No other vanadinite discovery in Mibladen has matched the purity, color saturation, and size produced by this pocket. The chamber itself was small and precariously formed—Abdou and his brothers risked entering it, crawling through collapsed tunnels and passageways carved only 14” wide, mining entirely by hand under conditions few would endure.

Geological Profile

Mibladen’s vanadinite forms through hydrothermal activity, where vanadium-rich fluids migrate into oxidation zones surrounding lead ore bodies. This particular formation—vanadinite (Pb₅(VO₄)₃Cl)—crystallized in a lead-rich fault zone within Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains. The unique conditions of this pocket allowed for undisturbed crystal growth, enhanced zoning, and glassy, gem-like quality—an alignment of factors that has not occurred again in the region.

This is a museum-quality vanadinite with provenance, geological significance, and an origin story as rare as the specimen itself.