Cornetite with Malachite

Item Description

Cornetite is a rare copper phosphate mineral that was actually the first new mineral discovered and described from the Congo. It is a rare secondary copper mineral that is noted for its deep blue, green-blue to green color as in this piece and is found in the highly weathered, oxidation zones of copper sulfide ore bodies. This beautiful, shimmering specimen is rich with Cornetite in tiny, sparkling, dark blue to teal-blue crystals with numerous tiny, bright green Malachite crystals, especially on one end. They shimmer in LED lighting or sunlight in a way that few minerals do. This particular style and color came out in the late 1990s from the aptly named "Sparkly Pocket" from the Star of the Congo Mine, the type locality for the species, and was brought to market by the great Belgian dealer Gilbert Gauthier and they are seldom seen today. This is from the late 1990s discovery of this now-classic material.