Copper (fine crystals - classic material)

Item Description

A classic specimen of beautifully crystallized Copper from the historic Broken Hill Mine in Australia. This piece is essentially a complete "floater" filled with intricate arborescent / dendritic crystals on all sides, creating a very showy and aesthetic display piece. The surface has oxidized / altered to velvety green Malachite, best seen under magnification. No damage that I can find and it's complete all around. The piece is delicate, so it must be handled carefully. A beautiful example of this classic material from one of the world's greatest mineral localities.
This piece comes from the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman, the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".