VANADINITE WITH CALCITE

It takes something special to stand out among the tons and tons of vanadinite from the extensive workings in Mibladen, this here is one such piece: a simply stunning, humongous cluster on matrix with a coating of calcite druze. The coverage goes over almost the entire top, save for a small patch where sheets of barite are visible. Many of the vanadinite crystals are blood red all the way through, many have beige color on the sides, and some have an almost black coloration. The drusy calcite could easily be removed with just vinegar, though no guarantees on how the underlying crystals would look afterwards. Personally, I like the contrast and sparking luster that this epitaxial layer adds to the piece. It's no exaggeration to say that there are thousands of vanadinites present here, and just the size of the specimen alone makes it stand out in any collection.