Azurite (old find)

Item Description

Magnificently colorful specimen of rich royal-blue, finely bladed Azurite balls with accenting tiny Malachite globules on matrix from the classic Metcalf Mine, Arizona that is just to the north of the more well known Morenci Mine. The Azurite spheres of this specimen may be relatively small, measuring up to 5 mm in size, but they are exquisite showing an exceptional blue color and captivating velvety sheen. The botryoidal light green Malachite contrasts nicely both with the Azurite and the reddish-brown host rock. The piece is in good condition with some minor bruising near attachment points. The coverage of the Azurite is excellent looking more like a textured quilt with each hemisphere sitting more side by side rather than stacked on top of each other. A wonderful example of a classic Arizona Azurite from a hard to find locale! Ex. Jack Halpern Collection No. 1548. An older piece from the dealer Walt Lidstrom, dating to prior to the later mining operations in the 1980s which were run by Wayne Thompson (another specimen in this auction set is from the more modern era, and you can see the difference in style).