Malachite stalactites on Azurite

Item Description

This item is part of a special benefit auction for the Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals (ricenorthwestmuseum.org). Items are either deaccessions from the museum's collection or were donated by generous supporters listed below.

Auction open April 1, 2021 through April 17, 2021.

Billing for this auction will occur on Monday, April 19, for payment using PayPal or credit card. Shipping will be billed at cost, or please contact brandy@mineralauctions.com if you'd like to plan on picking up items at future shows or during a stop through Dallas.

A pair of Malachite "eyes" and a velvety, vibrant contrasting blue Azurite surface dominate this aesthetic piece from Bisbee. The left side and rear of the piece is dominated by bright to dull green, 1 to 2 cm, stacked Malachite "bubbles" of short stalactites, two of which have had the front of the spheres polished to reveal their beautifully concentric rings of dark and medium green malachite within. In contrast to the Malachite, an adjacent, elongated triangular patch of velvety, blue Azurite serves to balance this well composed and attractive piece Looking at the bottom of the piece, it further highlights the concentric banding of the Malachite along a planar fracture surface and also shows that the Azurite was formed later, on top of the Malachite. That backing is lapidary quality, old Bisbee style malachite. Overall this is a truly gorgeous AND interesting specimen! Truly a unique, historic, and somewhat iconic piece. (It may be our favorite item in the entire auction, and people in the office started calling it Cookie Monster)