Cuprite cubic xls ex. British Museum & Kay Robertson Coll.

Item Description

Gemmy and lustrous, cherry-red cuprite cubes, to 5 mm, fill a sculptural vug atop hefty ore matrix on this classic, rich and excellent old-timer from the famous Phoenix Mine of Cornwall. The crystals glow, when backlit and have metallic wine-red color under normal light. This fine piece probably dates from 1844-75, when the mine name changed. It has an outstanding provenance, having been in the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall and the British Museum Collections. Ex Kay Robertson Collection # 1295 (late 1950s). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record).