Azurite (classic material)

Item Description

Azurite might be the most well-known secondary copper mineral in the world. The species has been known since the early 1800s when it was first discovered in the Chessy Mines in France. Incidentally, the species was referred to as "Chessylite" for several years before the name was changed to Azurite. With that said, Azurite has been found in thousands over localities around the world, but a few of them stand out as the top producers of the species. Tsumeb for some people is considered the world's finest locality for Azurite in the history of mineral collecting, and for good reason, as the crystals from this storied mine are incredibly fine quality. This piece is a beautiful display specimen of this classic material featuring several very sharp, rather lustrous, deep blue colored, tabular crystals measuring up to 2.1 cm, sitting atop slightly altered lighter blue color Azurite matrix. The crystals are in superb condition, with beautifully smooth, lustrous, well-formed terminations, and no major damage I can find. With STRONG backlighting, you can see a bit of internal gemminess in the crystals, as small bright indigo colored flashes show up along the edges. The piece sits beautifully on its own without the aid of a base or clay. A wonderful piece of this iconic material dating back many decades.
Valued $3,500.
Ex Brian Kosnar collection.