Azurite (fine crystal)

Item Description

Tsumeb Azurites are some of the finest examples of the species ever found. At their best, the crystals are remarkably sharp and lustrous with deep midnight blue color and textbook crystal morphology. This piece is a great example of these classic crystals as it has beautiful blocky form with gentle striations on the faces, and in reflected light, you can see deep electric blue flashes of color just beneath the surface. The crystal has a minor amount of matrix attached to the back, but it's mostly a single crystal. There is very minor edge wear on one side, and even though there is a separation mark on the lower edge, the crystal is still largely undamaged. It's difficult to capture the quality of the piece in a photo or video, and I would say that this one looks better in person. This piece comes to us from the legendary Ron Romanella (February 28, 1932 - October 24, 2022), a well-known gem and mineral dealer from New York City. He studied mineralogy at Columbia School of Mines, and he was mentored by Dr. Frederick Pough of the American Museum of Natural History, and learned about the business side from well-known mineral dealers Hugh Ford and Maurice Hammoneau. Ron himself was a mentor to other successful East Coast mineral dealers such as Larry Conklin, Herb Obodda and even employed Dave Wilber for a time. He largely transitioned out of selling minerals as his business focused more on gems for the last few decades, and his sons Michael and Jerry have been running the family business in Scottsdale for many years now. With that said, Ron was one of the great powerhouse mineral dealers in the US for many years, offering fine quality specimens and gem crystals from classic and contemporary localities. Among his top achievements, is that Ron is credited with importing the first known crystals of Tanzanite into the US in the 1960s.