Azurite (classic locality)

Item Description

Azurite is a beloved and sought after secondary copper mineral. It has been found in a large number of world localities, but an argument can be made that the finest examples of Azurite are the top pieces from the famed Tsumeb Mine. The best of these specimens are incredibly high quality for the species, with superb crystallization, luster, size, color and even gemminess. This piece is wonderful showy toenail featuring excellent, highly lustrous, sharp, well-formed, prismatic crystals of a deep midnight blue color, measuring up to 2.4 cm, free of matrix. When backlit, there are areas on the edges of the crystals that show a vivid indigo color, which is not commonly seen in Azurite. The piece is in good shape, but there are some areas of separation around the periphery where the piece was removed from the pocket wall. Overall it's a rather presentable and good quality piece of these classic Azurites from what many people consider to be the world's greatest mineral locality.
From the collection of world famous mineral dealer Richard ("Rich") A. Kosnar (1946-2007), who was the namesake for the phosphate Kosnarite, and imported many specimens from Tsumeb through his partnership with fellow mineral dealer Charlie Key in the 1970s.