• Option A, four views of a bicolor sputnik aragonite with gray-white coloration on one side and brick red elsewhere. The piece has one large pseudo-hexagonal barrel crystal through it and
  • A bunch of red-brown sputnik aragonite clusters spread out on a white background
  • A piece of sputnik aragonite held between two fingers to show small scale. The aragonite is labeled as option J
  • Two sputnik aragonites on a mineral shelf. The one on the left is labeled K and has good radiating form, and the one on the right is labeled E with more irregular form.
  • Option B, four views of an irregular sputnik aragonite cluster with chunky flat hexagonal crystals pointing in multiple directions. Large crystals with good clarity making internal inclusions visible. A few crystals are broken.
  • Option C, four views of a well-formed sputnik aragonite with two large barrel crystals sticking out like legs. There are several other large but short crystals among those ringing the middle of the piece
  • Option D, four views of a large aragonite barrel crystal with clusters of smaller crystals sticking out from it all around the middle. One end of the large crystal is broken, as are some of the smaller crystals.
  • Option E, four views of a bunchy oval sputnik aragonite with one big crystal sticking out and broken crystals on the other side. The crystals have a flattened hexagonal shape, and some are a light gray color instead of red-brown.
  • Option F, four views of a bunchy oval sputnik aragonite with broken crystals on one side. The rest has short well-formed crystals with good clarity.
  • Option G, four views of a sputnik aragonite cluster with one large barrel crystal through the center, and a tutu of smaller crystals around its middle. The main crystal has sprouting growth around it.
  • Option H, four views of a sputnik aragonite cluster with one large barrel crystal through the center, broken on one end. It has a tutu of smaller crystals around its middle, and stepped growth almost like sprouting growth around the main crystal.
  • Option I, four views of a sputnik aragonite with more of a bow-tie composition, flat with crystals splaying out to the sides. Some large barrel crystals, and also some broken crystals on one side of the piece.
  • Option J, four views of a Sputnik aragonite with nice compact round shape with one larger barrel crystal through it. The piece has large faces on the ends of crystals with good clarity to see inclusions.
  • Option K, four views of a nicely-formed compact ball-shaped piece with short chunky crystals. There are two larger barrel crystals with nicely formed faces.
  • Option L, four views of a cluster with one large barrel crystal through it. The aragonite is a red brown color, deeper at the center fading to lighter at the ends of crystals. There is also a patch of colorless aragonite. Some smaller crystal ends are broken.
  • Scale image showing the options spread on a measuring mat and labeled. The approximate size of each is: A, 1.25 inch; B, 1.5 inch; C, 1.5 inch; D, 1.75 inch; E, 1.5 inch; F, 1.5 inch; G, 1.5 inch; H, 1.5 inch; I, 1.25 inch; J, 1.5 inch; K, 1.25 inch; L, 1.5 inch
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Sputnik aragonite, small

Sputnik aragonite, small

$7.50 USD
$7.50 USD
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Locale: Mexico

Approx dimensions: 1.25–1.5"

Approx weight: 30g avg (15- 45g)

 

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 Mexican sputnik aragonite clusters have large chunky crystals and a saturated red-brown coloration. Sputnik aragonite often has broken crystal ends, but these pieces on on the whole are fairly complete with good translucency and luster. Option E gets the ugly duckling discount for having a large surface of broken crystals.

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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