Vivianite on Siderite

Unknown Owner

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When I was a young collector and part-time dealer in the late 1990s, perhaps 97 or 98, I recall walking by the booth of the late Chris Wright and literally stopping in my tracks because of the selection of "green window panes" on display at the Springfield Show of that year. He had just gotten the majority of this incredible pocket out of Huanuni, and frankly, I was not the only one standing there stunned, watching these gem-green crystals glow in even poor lighting from overhead fluorescents, as he set them up on thin glass shelves. I know he pretty much sold out of them within a month, and this find was NEVER repeated for size and quality. Today, they are legendary. I have only seen a half dozen good examples turn up in the last 20 years, for sale. This is literally the perfectly balanced small cabinet specimen with a symmetry so perfectly balanced to display the crystal to full effect. The crystal is 5 cm tall, doubly terminated, and displayed on a matrix of gracefully curving siderite, that itself has a sugary sparkle to it. Notably, the matrix is solid and stable, as are the crystals themselves - in stark contrast to some vivianite from other locations in the world. Huanuni vivianite is the standard, and this pocket is the best of them. The crystal looks for all the world like a 5 cm gem crystal and can hold its own, therefore, in cases of such fancy gem species. It is 360 degrees, perfect all around.