Azurite (James Carter Coll.)

Item Description

A sculptural and aesthetic 360-degree floater miniature of two intergrown rosettes of lustrous beautiful rich royal-blue and navy-blue blocky tabular azurite crystals from the well-known 1980s-1990s finds in China. Complete all-around and nearly pristine, with only two barely noticeable small spots of crystal bruising. Ex Dr. James Carter Collection. James was a professor of Geology and former Department Chairman at the University of Texas at Dallas for 43 years until he retired in 2008. A true geoscientist, he studied and performed research on a remarkable variety of geological aspects. NASA asked Carter to help create a material that was similar to actual lunar regolith. The lunar regolith simulant, or fake moon dirt, he developed was used by NASA and other researchers for studies in support of future human activities on the moon. He passed away in 2019. We recently acquired part of his collection. Read about James at: https://www.utdallas.edu/news/faculty-staff/carter-tribute-2019/. Chinese azurites compare favorably with the specimens from the notable Arizona localities, such as Bisbee and Morenci. An excellent example of the species and locale with mulitple display views. The material is common enough but this is a particularly fine specimen with sharp crystals, great color saturation, and a pleasing shape. Valued $750-950