Azurite (gemmy crystals) with Malachite

Item Description

Lavrion is one of the most historic world localities. Mining has taken place for thousands of years, and the plethora of secondary minerals found in the area make it incredibly distinctive. While Azurite is not rare from Lavrion, crystals of this quality are rather hard to find, especially in eye-visible examples. The crystals on this piece are not micros as they measure up to a full 3.1 cm, showing amazingly high luster with intense midnight blue color in reflected light, but when they are backlit, the thin edges GLOW with superb gemminess and a vivid ultramarine hue. Associated tiny velvety green aggregates of Malachite can be seen on the piece as well, and the added oxidized matrix on the base of the piece completes this beautiful display piece While there is some roughness, the Azurites are in very good condition. This is not what one typically would expect from Lavrion, as the quality of the Azurites is about as good as you'll see from almost any locality. You could expect this kind of quality from places like Bisbee, Touissit or Tsumeb, but a Christiana Mine Azurite like is much rarer, and notably more desirable. Keep in mind that nearly all of the Azurites from this mine are either opaque, or the gem quality crystals are micros, so a piece like this is truly impressive in terms of crystal size and quality in my mind. I put a lot of value into this one, as we seldom see any of this quality.
The piece was mined in 2017 and comes from the collection of Christos Spiromitros