Vivianite Fan on Ironstone Geode
- Species
- Vivianite
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 1.5–2
- Chemistry
- Fe₃(PO₄)₂·8H₂O
- Dimensions
- 25 × 13 × 8 cm (9.8 × 5.1 × 3.1 in)
- Weight
- 1.8 kg (4.0 lb)
- Grade
- Collector Grade
- Treatment
- 100% Natural · Untreated
The exterior is unpolished ironstone in rust and ochre, coarse to the eye. Inside, the cavity wall darkens to near-black, and against it two generations of vivianite stand out: a radiating fan of dark blue-green blades on the left, and several long, semi-translucent laths crossing the chamber at the upper right — one nearly free-standing. In direct light the blade faces flash a silvery, metallic blue.
Vivianite is an iron phosphate that crystallizes only where iron, phosphate, and near-total absence of oxygen meet — a narrow chemical window that makes well-formed crystals genuinely uncommon. Here, blades of it grew inside a rugged limonite geode from Brazil: a raw, earthen shell concealing an interior of ordered blue.
Why collectors want this
The collision of textures is the point: crude iron shell outside, precision-cut blue blades inside. The near-suspended lath spanning the cavity is this piece's single most memorable feature — a detail you notice once and look for every time after.
Living with it
Display away from direct sunlight: vivianite is light-sensitive and will gradually darken with prolonged exposure. The crystals are also soft and brittle — handle the piece only by its matrix or stand, never by the blades. A dim-to-moderate, indirect light source from the front left renders the metallic sheen best.
Packed by value-graded protection and shipped tracked & insured worldwide (DHL / FedEx / UPS), dispatched within 3–7 business days.
1 in stock