Cuprite var. Chalcotrichite (old classic) Kay Robertson Coll.

Item Description

Sparkly brick-red cuprite variety chalcotrichite with a few scattered cubic cuprite microcrystals are festooned on the hefty undulating oxidized copper and quartz matrix on this old-time, very rich and showy ore specimen from the historic mines of Cornwall. The piece undoubtedly dates to the 1800s. Ex Kay Robertson Collection # 256, indicating acquisition in the 1940s or earlier. Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record).