Malachite with Copper (ex Gary Weaver Collection)

Item Description

It's honestly fairly hard to find specimens from the Cashin Mine on the market these days. This old classic locality in Southwestern Colorado dates back to the late 1890s, and was well-known for its copper production. Interestingly enough important to note that while this mine is located in Montrose County, it's actually closer (as the crow flies) to Moab, Utah than it is Montrose, Colorado. With that said, this piece is a really attractive and showy specimen of Malachite with Copper (according to the label) from this famous old mine. I only question the identification of the Copper for the fact that it looks more like Cuprite to my eye, as there is a slightly reddish metallic hue on the surface. The Malachite has formed in attractive, dark forest green, velvety "balls" and mammillary aggregates sitting on oxidized matrix. In certain areas, the Malachite is contacted or exposed and reveals a softer mint green hue. You can see the "Copper" / Cuprite around the edges of the Malachite, which makes for a wonderful contrast. A must have for any fan of secondary ore minerals, or specimens from Colorado, as you rarely get large cabinet sized pieces like this from the Cashin Mine. From the collection of Gary Weaver of Prescott, Arizona (1944-2019). Gary was an electrical engineer who worked for many years for Hughes Aircraft in California. You can read Gary's obituary here https://www.dcourier.com/news/2019/apr/27/obituary-gary-richard-weaver/. Valued at $800.