Cuprite with Aragonite (''Machu Picchu Stone'')

Item Description

This material first came to our attention in 2019 from our good contact in Lima, who often sends us new and unusual stones from the local miners. This gem is a good example of what is referred to locally as "Machu Picchu Stone", due to the fact that it's mined in the Urubamba River Valley below the historic Incan site. The two main components of the gem are the reddish-brown Cuprite and white banded Aragonite. Some people have said that the white is combination of Calcite and Aragonite, but it's very difficult to identify visually like this. This "Trapezoid Cabochon" cut gem features attractive banding patterns between the Cuprite and Aragonite, and looks beautiful up close. Since this is fairly new material, and very little seems to have found its way on the market, I'm sure most of you don't have one yet, so don't miss out on this chance to get your hands on a good quality piece of this exciting material for a good price.