• Option A, four views of a sputnik aragonite shaped like a peanut, with well-formed stubby thick crystals radiating out. It is mostly red-brown with white coloration over half of one side.
  • A bunch of small bicolor sputnik aragonites spread out on a white background
  • Two small bicolor sputnik aragonites on a mineral shelf, showing their vibrant red-brown color and relative size. The one on the left is labeled 'E' and the one on the right 'L'
  • A sputnik aragonite cluster shaped like two spheres, labeled 'F,' held in the fingers to show small scale.
  • Two small bicolor aragonites in a palm to show scale; option C is about three quarters as wide as the palm, and option G is about half.
  • Option B, four views of an egg-shaped sputnik aragonite with short crystals with hexagonal and flattened hexagon shapes. One side has broken crystals. The piece is mostly red-brown with a handful of white crystals sprinkled across the surface.
  • Option C, four views of a well-formed round sputnik aragonite that is mostly white with red-brown sections. There are some longer white crystals with good translucency.
  • Option D, four views of a flat oval sputnik aragonite with good color balance of white and red-brown. Well-formed crystals all around, mostly short with some longer protruding ones.
  • Option E, four views of an oval sputnik aragonite that is mostly red-brown with some white patches. There is a small patch of broken crystals on one side. There are a few larger crystals with good form and color, but most are short giving it a fairly even appearance.
  • Option F, four views of a sputnik aragonite shaped like two spheres. They are covered with fairly short, even crystals. There is some overgrowth on the piece. It is all red-brown.
  • Option G, four views of a slightly flat elongated sputnik aragonite with chunky crystals. White and red crystals are mixed together. The pseudo-hexagonal shapes of crystals are more flattened like a diamond shape.
  • Option H, four views of a round sputnik aragonite with short fat crystals. The piece has good balance of red-brown and white crystals.
  • Option I, four views of a round sputnik aragonite with larger crystals on one side and small short ones on the other. Well-formed larger crystals in a mix of white and red-brown.
  • Option J, four views of a round bunchy sputnik aragonite with flattened hexagonal crystals. The piece is almost entirely red, with few light crystals. The surface luster is a bit filmy on the ends, dulling the red color
  • Option K, four views of a round sputnik aragonite with even well-formed short crystals. One side of the piece has broken crystals. It is mostly red-brown with a small patch of white crystals.
  • Option L, four views of a sausage-shaped sputnik aragonite with an irregular side, with crystals haphazardly pointing in all directions. The piece is mostly red-brown on one side, and mostly white on the other side. Well-formed crystals.
  • Scale image showing the options spread on a measuring mat and labeled. The approximate size of each is: A, 1.5 inch; B, 1.25 inch; C, 1.25 inch; D, 1.5 inch; E, 1.75 inch; F, 1.75 inch; G, 1.5 inch; H, 1.25 inch; I, 1.25 inch; J, 1.5 inch; K, 1.75 inch; L, 1.75 inch
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Bicolor sputnik aragonite, small

Bicolor sputnik aragonite, small

$10.00 USD
$10.00 USD
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Locale: Morocco

Approx dimensions: 1.25–1.75"

Approx weight: 55g avg (40-70g)

 

This variety of aragonite clusters earns its trade name from the resemblance to the Sputnik satellite, with crystals protruding out in all directions. These small Moroccan sputnik aragonite clusters have well-formed large crystals, and are fairly compact round forms. The bicolor variety grows crystals that are red-brown and a grayish-white color. Sputnik aragonite often has broken crystal ends, but these pieces on on the whole are fairly complete with good translucency and luster. Option J gets the ugly duckling discount for having a duller color and luster.

Sputnik aragonite grows clusters of elongated hexagonal barrel-shaped crystals, radiating out from a central point. The crystal habit is actually 'pseudo-hexagonal' meaning the crystals that appear hexagonal are actually formed of multiple intergrown crystals. This pseudo-hexagonal crystal habit is common in aragonite! The crystals grow similar to the arms of a snowflake, forming six small pie-wedges (the boundary between crystals is about halfway between points).

You may be able to see hints of this in the surface details of larger crystals; a common one is for the edges of the hexagonal face to have small v-shaped insets about halfway between points, giving it an appearance similar to a snowflake.

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