Vanadinite contains lead, so do not make or breathe dust from it, wash your hands after handling it, and keep it from your mouth. It is soft and is not made into beads. We do not carry it.
Lead vanadate chloride (apatite group)
Vanadinite
Vanadinita
- Palette
- Red Orange Brown Yellow
- Mined in
- Morocco, United States, Namibia, Argentina, Algeria, Tunisia, Austria, Russia, United Kingdom
- Hardness
- Mohs 2.5–4.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1801
- Named for
- its high vanadium content
- Intention
- Abundance Strength
- Looking for
- Creativity Goals and motivation Focus and clarity
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Vanadinite is a natural mineral sold as found; no dye or filler is reported. It is about 73 percent lead by weight, so it is a handle-with-care stone.
Not in our pieces now
73% LEAD
Vanadinite is about 73 percent lead by weight, a lead chlorovanadate with a bright red to orange-red color.
VANADÍS
The element vanadium, first found in vanadinite, is named for Vanadis, a name of the Norse goddess Freyja, because its compounds show so many colors.
1805
In 1805 a chemist wrongly argued that del Río's new element was just impure chromium, and del Río retracted his claim.
What it is
Bright orange-red to brown crystals shaped like small hexagonal prisms, often grown in sparkling clusters on a brown host rock. It is a soft lead mineral, collected as specimens and very rarely cut as a gem.
Where it comes from
Vanadinite is known for red crystals from Mibladen in Morocco, and also from Tsumeb in Namibia, Argentina, Mexico, and Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. It forms in the weathered zone above lead deposits in dry regions.
In history
The Spanish mineralogist Andrés Manuel del Río found vanadinite in 1801 in Mexico, which he called 'brown lead', and claimed it held a new element. He withdrew the claim, and the metal was rediscovered by Nils Gabriel Sefström in 1830 and named vanadium; vanadinite received its own name in 1838 after its vanadium.
What's said about it
In crystal lore today, vanadinite is kept for creativity and for getting started on something. People also keep it for a clear head when work needs doing.
Its small red-orange crystals are collected as mineral specimens. People place it on a desk or in a creative workspace rather than wearing it.
How people wear or keep it: On a desk, in a creative workspace, or by the bed.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, vanadinite is paired with the sacral chakra, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on a desk, in a creative workspace, by the bed. People reach for it when they want creativity, goals and motivation, focus and clarity, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraSacral
ZodiacVirgo
ElementFire
Care
- Contains lead: wash your hands after handling, keep it away from your mouth, children and pets, and do not sand, cut or grind it.
- Soft and brittle: keep it as a specimen or in a protective setting, not as bracelet beads.
- Clean only with a soft brush and mild soapy water; do not use ultrasonic cleaners.
- Store it in a closed box to keep dust down.
How to tell what you have
- Vanadinite is bright red to orange-red with glassy crystals, a pale yellow streak, and hardness 3 to 4, and it is brittle.
- It is very heavy for its size because of the lead.
- Bright red crystals that are light and perfectly uniform may be dyed or man-made.
Rules and sourcing
Vanadinite is about 73 percent lead by weight, so under US federal rules (CPSC) it is not exempt from lead testing and cannot go into children's jewelry unless it passes the 100 ppm limit. Sell it as adult-only, wash hands after handling, and keep it out of the mouth.
Questions people ask at our table
What is vanadinite?
A lead vanadate mineral that forms bright red-orange hexagonal crystals. It is natural and the color is its own.
Is it safe to handle?
It is about 73 percent lead by weight and may also hold vanadium and trace arsenic. A collector can handle a whole crystal, then wash their hands; do not make dust from it and keep it from your mouth.
Can it be made into beads or bracelets?
Not sensibly. It is soft, brittle and contains lead, so it is nearly always kept as a specimen.
Where does it come from?
Morocco is known for large red crystals. Arizona, New Mexico, Namibia, Argentina and Scotland also have it.
What is it used for?
Mainly as an ore of vanadium and, occasionally, lead. Faceted gems are rare and small.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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