Azurite (superb rare Arizona locality)

Item Description

From a one-time find in October 24, 2009, here we have a stellar and incredibly hard to find full cabinet-sized display specimen of top-notch Azurite crystals from the Carlota Mine in Arizona. While this locality has been known since the early 1900s, these contemporary specimens are certainly the finest and best-known examples to have ever come out. This particular piece comes from the collection of well-known miner and field collector Frank Valenzuela, who found the pocket. The color and quality is honestly not what one would associate with Arizona Azurites, as they are notably sharp and lustrous with a stark deep blue color, more reminiscent of Tsumeb, Milpillas or even Touissit. They even glow with a strong indigo hue around the edges when strongly backlit, also not typical from Arizona. There truly aren't many Arizona Azurites that look like this, and the fact that they came from a more recent discovery is a big deal because you just don't seen modern Azurites of THIS quality on the market. As far as I can remember, this is the only cabinet specimen we've had to offer, and it's loaded with dozens of excellent, very sharp, rather lustrous, well-formed, blocky crystals measuring up to 1.5 cm, sitting on massive Azurite matrix with minor Malachite. It should be noted that the piece is sawn on the back and sides to reduce its weight and bulkiness, but it's actually a very pleasing display specimen and looks great up close and in a display case. If you collect Arizona minerals, or worldwide Azurites, this is a first-rate example from a much rarer locality than Bisbee or Morenci. Valued $7,500.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 3868 . Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information