Vanadinite on Goethite

This is a Moroccan vanadinite from the "other" locality, the older and less known one compared to Mibladen, which has produced thousands of specimens in the more modern era. Steve Smale and his wife Clara drove out to this remote location in the 1970s, following the telephone lines through the desert in a rental car!!!! He tells the story about going there and buying this — and others — directly from the artisanal miners at the time. Apparently it was not super safe...but he went anyhow. This elegant large miniature is one that Steve kept all this time, as it met his criteria for quality — perfection, aesthetics, and complete horizon all around when possible. It is a gorgeous and 3-dimensional specimen that is indeed complete all around, with unusual barrel shaped crystals to nearly 1 cm. These are old classics, now seldom seen in any high quality level.