Azurite & Malachite (1980s Perkins Sams pocket)

Item Description

Aesthetic and sculptural azurite and malachite miniature from the well-known early 1980s Perkins Sams Pocket at famed Tsumeb. Sharp, intergrown, highly lustrous midnight-blue tabular azurite crystals are partially pseudomorphed by sparkly malachite. Parts of the azurite GLOWS with "electric-blue" color under bright line. The pocket was characterized by such blocky partially pseudomorphed azurite crystals that reached up to a large 10 cm or more. Well-known wealthy Midland, Texas oilman, Perkins Sams, acquired much of the pocket and was named after him. Perkins assembled a world-class mineral collection in an amazingly short time in the late 1970s and early 1980s with the help of expert consultants and by purchasing the entire collections of prominent collectors. The oil-boom ended in 1982, he lost much of his wealth and sold his 600-piece collection to the Houston Museum of Natural Science in 1985. See: https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/samsperkins-d/ for more information on Mr. Sams. A very fine miniature example from this famous Tsumeb find.