Atacamite (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

Atacamite from north in the Atacama Desert is well-known and still seen from the occasional contemporary find. But these broad, lustrous and translucent electric emerald green crystals come from Chuquicamata, a long-gone and very important locality for so many unique copper mineral species. This is an attractive piece rich in crystals up to 7 mm, which is very good sized for the locality. They have a riveting, deep, intense color and luster to them. I would say that the luster is quite high for the species, and because of the broad faces, they could be called "glassy". Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#6294). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).