Azurite and Malachite

Item Description

This is a classic Tsumeb Azurite of old style you see in books, and showing incipient replacement by Malachite and possibly other species. The Azurites on this handsome piece have an interesting morphology with their elongate prismatic crystals and "serrated" edges. The crystals vary in size from 1 to 4.5 cm in length and 0.5 to 2.5 cm in width. The Azurites are lustrous with barely discernible striations parallel to their length. The coarse "serrations" along the edges of the crystals are probably a result of stacked, parallel growth tabular crystals, regardless, the resulting geometry is fascinating! There are a few dozen crystals on the piece and they are in slightly divergent growth. There are small, 2 to 4 mm, velvety green patches of Malachite on some, but not all, of the Azurites indicating the beginnings of replacement. Mixtures of Malachite and other fine-grained minerals encrust areas between the Azurite crystals in places and add contrast.