Copper ("Spinel" twins)

Item Description

Going back to the late 1990s - early 2000s, these Copper specimens made a big splash when they first hit the market. They immediately remind one of the classic Spinel twins from the Chino Mine in New Mexico, various localities in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Tsumeb and Onganja in Namibia, and the Mount Elliott Mine or Broken Hill District in Australia. A case can be made that the pieces from the Itauz Mine are the best in the world for what they are, though it's certainly open to debate. This nearly full cabinet sized display specimen is an incredibly eye-catching "floater" specimen featuring a combination of the dramatic Spinel twin running the length of the piece which is highlighted by many superbly well-formed individual crystals of Copper along with beautiful dendritic "arms" flaring out from one side. The individual crystals show different habits including dodecahedral, octahedral and tetrahexahedral faces. The beautiful patina is most likely from a light Cuprite coating. No damage, and very incredibly showy. Shop around, you can't find these anymore, especially a piece of this size and quality with such superior crystallization, form and aesthetics. Valued at $2,000. From the collection of Richard ("Rich") A. Kosnar (1946-2007), the well-known mineral dealer and collector from Colorado, who built a suite of minerals from Pakistan and Afghanistan going back to the 1980s. Rich was the namesake for the rare zirconium phosphate species, Kosnarite.