Copper (''Spinel'' twin)

Item Description

A fine quality and showy specimen of this classic material. In the mid 2000s, the mineral world was introduced to these extraordinary crystallized Copper specimens from the Itauz Mine, which were some of the finest crystallized Coppers from any world locality. Many of these pieces feature amazing morphologies, including attractive skeletal habits and dramatic twinning. We consider these Coppers to be one of the most significant discoveries of the species in the last 50+ years, and they have already proven themselves as modern-day classics. The quality, sharpness and dramatic crystal growth have set these pieces apart from other crystallized Copper specimens worldwide. This specimen shows a predominant elongated/flattened skeletal "Spinel"-Law twin to create what is essentially a complete "floater" with no point of attchment. The close-up photos show beautiful skeletal form all over the piece. The reddish patina on this specimen gives it an antique appearance, and truly stands out among many others that I've seen from this classic locality. Superb presentation and quality.
From the collection of Armon McPherson, a retired physicist, now living in New Mexico. Armon received his PhD from North Carolina State University in 1985, and worked at the laser laboratory at the University of Illinois at Circle Center. In the summer of 1997, Armon moved to the Argonne National Laboratory where he worked at the Advanced Photon Source, then the world’s largest synchrotron facility dedicated as an x-ray source. In 2001, he was asked to join a team at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque to conduct laser research for DARPA. Finally, staying within Sandia, he transferred to the Z Facility, the world’s most powerful x-ray facility. He retired in the spring of 2017. Armon's introduction to mineral collecting came in the 1980s during graduate school when he attended his first mineral show. He took up the hobby of faceting gems, and focused his early collection on gem crystals, and later transitioned into collecting non-gem species. We are proud to offer specimens from his worldwide mineral collection here for you.