Azurite with Malachite

Item Description

Here we have a wonderful gem from Bisbee, Arizona, one of the great copper mining districts in the United States. This area is best known for its beautiful Azurite and Malachite specimens. This classic association is most often seen in SPECIMENS, but a portion of this material was used for lapidary purposes, and resulted in some of the most beautiful gemstones of this classic combination from any world locality. This gem is a classic "Pear" cabochon cut stone from the historic copper producing area featuring a combination of midnight blue Azurite with dark forest green and olive green colored Malachite. This stone has excellent patterning and consistency of color throughout. One doesn't honestly see a lot of Bisbee gems on the market, and this is a decent sized stone, certainly worth picking up if you collect material from the United States. This stone is from the estate of former Phoenix area dealer Marvin Rockey. Rockey's Gems was a significant business in the early days of Arizona lapidary material, and he was a prominent dealer and buyer in the Arizona area of local lapidary and carving material from throughout the state, including Bisbee, the Ray Mine, Miami mines, and the Peridot finds on Indian lands in the 1950s-1970s. This stone was kept back from the retail stock for its quality and beauty, in a tray of special material, and was found in his estate (sold to us only recently). Today, these are not only rarely seen but of a highly desirable old quality, and sought after by collectors and gem / jewelry enthusiasts alike.