Malachite pseudomorph after Azurite (classic material)

Item Description

Bisbee is one of the greatest mineral localities in US mining history. The prestigious Copper Queen Mine is an iconic Bisbee locality, which dates back to 1881, and was the crown jewel of the district in its day, which belonged to the Phelps Dodge Corporation. Azurite and Malachite are the two most well-known minerals from this mine, as they were found in excellent display specimens, and often in the form of wonderful pseudomorphs. This piece is a fine quality, showy display specimen filled with excellent rich green colored Malachite which has replaced fairly thick crystal groups of Azurite, measuring up to 2.2 cm, with minor pale blue Chrysocolla on the side. I will note that the impressive reflective luster of the Malachites is quite impressive for the locality, as they almost look "wet" in certain areas. Minimal roughness is present, but overall the piece is very eye-catching and very good quality for this classic material.
Ex George Loud Collection No. 16.1.6 AZ.14; 7446. George (born August 16, 1942) is a well-known mineral collector from Washington, DC and South Carolina respectively, and was a patent lawyer by trade for over 50 years. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the U.S., comprising worldwide specimens, and in later years he sold the worldwide specimens to focus on minerals of the United States, specifically locality suites with an emphasis on amazing representation of species while still maintaining fine quality. The specimens remarkably range from micros to all the way up to large cabinets in size. We recently acquired most of his impressive 9000+ piece collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality specimens for their collections.
See: https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/george-loud for more information