Azurite and Malachite

Item Description

Bisbee in Arizona was once the largest city and nearly the capital of the State, due to its copper and silver mining riches and fame. In time, the fame passed, and now few remember what a monument to American mining that Bisbee was. It supplied most of the world's copper at one time, and so you can understand why relatively few specimens of the copper ore - namely, azurite and malachite - would have been preserved! This is a huge, dramatic, gorgeously colorful specimen of both species intergrown in the typical complex patterns of old "Bisbee blue" from the most important era of mining here, the late 1800s to about 1908. The malachite and azurite both show several different zones, layers, and forms and colors, all within the same specimen and intergrown in a gorgeous pattern. The piece is a historic survivor in unbelievably good condition, and is both 3-dimensional and beautiful in a case (it can sit on its own at several display angles). The depth and saturation of the blue color is particularly noted here. Valued $15,000 or more for size, quality, style. This was purchased from an old collection being sold at Tucson in 2015.