Azurite (complete ''floater'' group) (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

Before the ''boom'' of Chinese minerals in the late 1990s-early 2000s, there were very few pieces of Chinese material on the market. Some of those specimens are the famous old Azurites from the Shilu Mine. This piece is not from contemporary mining, but actually dates back to the early 1980s. These specimens were imported by Richard Kosnar (the namesake for the phosphate species Kosnarite) and were some of the first examples of this material to have reached the US market. The distinctive habit and impressive size of the specimens makes them Chinese "classics" and icons in the mineral world. It's quite difficult to find Azurites of this magnitude from any world locality today. This piece is a superb quality group comprising many deep blue color, fairly lustrous Azurite "balls" forming a complete "floater" group with no point of attachment, and no matrix. The piece is complete on every side, and the sparkling luster can be seen from every angle. Fine quality and very showy. This piece was priced at $6,500 in the inventory for the size, quality, aesthetics and the fact that it's 40 years old. Virtually nothing similar from this mine can be found on the market today to compare to this piece. Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection (who purchased the piece from Rich Kosnar many years ago). Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/smalestephen/ ) or on Wikipedia.