Azurite (classic USA locale)

Item Description

This item is part of a special benefit auction for the Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals (ricenorthwestmuseum.org). Items are either deaccessions from the museum's collection or were donated by generous supporters listed below.

Auction open April 1, 2021 through April 17, 2021.

Billing for this auction will occur on Monday, April 19, for payment using PayPal or credit card. Shipping will be billed at cost, or please contact brandy@mineralauctions.com if you'd like to plan on picking up items at future shows or during a stop through Dallas.

From a formerly-contemporary classic U.S. Azurite locality comes this sparkling, big, blue "wheel" of crystallized Azurite from the Blue Grotto prospect in La Sal, Utah. This somewhat flattened cluster is complete all around and consists of numerous, translucent, wonderful, bright royal blue, mounded rosettes of Azurite from the center of the piece to around its periphery and it is essentially free of damage. The small chunky crystals flash in every direction. It's slight translucence, especially around the edges, results in a beautiful glow to the piece seldom seen in most Azurite specimens. The backside is in good condition with minor light brown clay in the cracks and an area of contact with a linear inclusion of matrix. A very fine American Azurite from famous finds primarily in the 1980s and 1990s (shockingly, if it is more than 20 years ago now, we probably cannot call these contemporary anymore!).