Brazilian Ludlamite!

Late last year, there was a massive find of vivianite at Cabeza do Cachorro, near the Colombian border in the Brazilian Amazon. By now many of you have doubtlessly seen the vivianite specimens of various qualities that have made their way into the market— most went from Brazil to China in a single multi-ton lot, before being sold on. Unfortunately, shortly after they arrived in China, the market and surrounding city were locked down due to COVID. Included in that multi-ton lot were a very small number of these exceptional ludlamite specimens— before the lockdown I had asked my friend to keep an eye out, and sure enough, a few days after the restrictions were lifted, she happened upon these.

This locality has been producing specimens since 2015, though the production has almost exclusively been vivianite— with very few exceptions (I’ve literally only seen a few approaching this quality since then) the ludlamite has typically just been an accessory— after all, all that separates the two species chemically are 4 water molecules. I suspect most of the larger-crystal examples posted here came from a single pocket.

As far as collectors are concerned, this species is pretty much known from 5 localities: Huanuni, Bolivia; Santa Eulalia, Mexico (70’s); Lemhi Co., Idaho (60’s); Trepca, Kosovo (80’s-90’s); and this locality in Brazil. Huanuni has undeniably produced the best specimens— some of you may recall the 2019 pocket with pinwheels that reached 3 inches. In my opinion, these are the second best examples of the species— they are nearly identical to the habit from Idaho, only much richer and with larger crystals. And as far as bang for your buck, they are almost impossible to beat— a couple examples posted here (with smaller crystals) are near identical to the Idaho material, though priced at about 1/2-1/3 of what those would be. What you get from Huanuni for similar prices is usually much smaller— and when you encounter the really good ones, the prices go crazy.

At the end of the page, I have also re-posted a “typical” Santa Eulalia specimen and a “typical” Huanuni specimen (not from the 2019 pocket, but rather what would normally be encountered). If you compare, you will see that this long, winding introduction is not just me bloviating… in fact I’d even say to look at Idaho and Brazil ludlamites on Mindat to really see why these are special.

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