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

Item Description

From a recent discovery near the "roof of the world", these specimens have slowly been making their way to the western market. At first, we were convinced that they were fakes, but testing and a large amount of rough material has confirmed that they are in fact genuine. The piece features a couple bubble-like spots of stark blue Azurite floating against a black and white speckled granite background. The Azurite has a notable translucency, as you can see through it to the underlying granite. This specimen is polished to show off the Azurite better, and there are tiny specks of a pale green mineral (most likely Malachite) that can be seen here and there. This stuff is strange to be sure, and everybody I showed it to in Tucson has no explanation as to how it formed. It's not often we see metamorphic secondary copper minerals like this, especially in a district that's better known for producing pegmatite minerals. 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 / gemological novelty if nothing else.