Azurite in Granite (''K2 stone'' ''Ketonite'')

Item Description

Every once in a while, we see specimens from a new locality that are truly unlike anything we've seen before. That's the case with these attractive, unique and beguiling specimens which are true oddities in the mineral world. These pieces were found several years ago near what some call the "roof of the world", and are truly one of the last things you would expect from this area. They come from the foothills of the famed K2 mountain, on the border between Gilgit–Baltistan northern Pakistan and the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China. When we first saw these specimens, we were convinced that they were fakes, but testing combined with visual confirmation of rough material from several sources on the market has proven that they are indeed genuine. This piece features "disc" or bubble-like spots of blue Azurite floating against a black and white speckled granite background. The Azurite zones have a notable translucency, as you can see through them to the underlying granite. This piece is polished to show off the Azurite better, and there are small areas of a pale green mineral (most likely Malachite) floating around the edges. This stuff is strange to be sure, and everybody I showed it to has no explanation as to how it formed. It's not often we see secondary copper minerals like this, especially in a district that's better known for producing pegmatite species. I have no idea if there will be more of this material, or even how much is out there, so if you want one, don't miss out. It's certainly a cool mineralogical novelty if nothing else.