Chrysocolla

Item Description

An uncommon Chrysocolla specimen from the 79 Mine featuring beautiful bright blue spherical aggregates with a resinous luster measuring to about 1 mm, sitting on botryoidal brown-black Goethite/Limonite. The accompanying label mentions that there is Mimetite and I found a TINY bit of MICRO yellow crystals (see photo). The piece is best seen under magnification, and we've photographed the little Chrysocolla "balls" with a macro lens to better illustrate the quality. A really attractive piece from this classic Arizona locality.
From the collection of Daniel ("Dan") W. Behnke (July 31, 1932 - January 20, 2020) of Glenview, Illinois. Dan was an Associate Photographer of both the Mineralogical Record and Rock and Minerals magazines. He served as the Micromount chairman of the Midwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies from 1981 to 1988. He was elected to the National Board of Directors of the Friends of Mineralogy in 1989, and the Micromounters Hall of Fame in 2007. He was a beloved member of the mineral collecting community, most notably for his supreme skill at photomicrography. If you've ever seen any of Dan's micro photos on mindat.org, it's easy to see why he was one of the best in this field. You can read his obituary at https://www.nhscotthanekamp.com/obituaries/Daniel-W-Behnke?obId=10633628