Vanadinite

Introduction: Named for the easily identifiable vanadium’s faultless hexagonal crystals, flat and tubular or barrel-shaped, normally a vibrant red or shades from amber to brown-red and yellow-brown.

Distribution: Namibia boasts the largest vanadintie crystals in the world, over 12cm long, discovered at the Arenab Mine in the Otavi Mountains, worked from 1922 to 1958. Also at the nearby Berg Aukas Mine and it also occurs on the farm Uitsab 654, 25km west of Grootfontein.

Composition: Vanadate

Crystal system: Hexagonal

Lustre: Subadamantine, resinous

Streak: Pale yellow to white

Hardness: 3