Cuprite on Copper

Item Description

An excellent, 5.7 cm, spinel-twinned Copper with two defined "spines", from the less well-known Mufulira cobalt-copper mine in Zambia. The arborescent Copper has several branches, and where the Copper is exposed, the patina ranges from a rich coppery-red to a pleasant, oxidized green. Much of the Copper is coated by Cuprite crystals, and these can be reach several mm in size. These well-developed Cuprites also glow a beautiful red when lit well. Spinel-twin Coppers of this size are few and far between from African localities, and those of this quality likely came out in the 1960s to early 1970s. When the finds were significant, as we have here, careful notation was made of the exact place within the mine. As such, good specimens are uncommon and very seldom available. Formerly on the collections of Marty Zinn and Phil Scalisi. Stunning when backlit. From the collection of East Coast collector, George Elling, specializing in historic minerals of the East Coast and minerals from the development of old European mineralogy.