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These specimens came from one narrow pocket vein, in mid-June of 2008. I bought them literally the day after they were mined, and run up from Mexico to show me. I fell in love with the lot and bought them all, small to large! It is the largest pocket of uniformly good quality malachite that I have yet seen over the last year or so of specimen production here, and bodes well for the future. However, each pocket here is really quite different; and malachite seems to actually be more rare than azurite at this locality. The photos do not fully capture the complex 3-dimensional form of so many sharp intergrown crystals and color both, in some cases, so they are more bright and velvety in "texture," in person.
MEXMAL-01 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 6000 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico large cabinet, 18.4 x 16.2 x 4.4 cm
LARGE CABINET specimen, one of only several recovered in pristine condition! This plate is complete all over its surface and in person is much more appealing than a photo can show, because of the complex 3-dimensional surface (see lower-left closeup for a good idea of what the texture is, as well). For that matter, a large plate this size with so many sharp crystals isn't common from anywhere, but for Mexico its pretty unprecedented. For wahtever reason, the azurite and malachite deposits here have seldom produced large specimens of any quality. A major showpiece, in a case.
MEXMAL-02 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 1800 SOLD Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico miniature, 4.6 x 3.7 x 2.1 cm
Only a very few specimens came out with this green-on-green look to them, with sharp bladed crystals literally popping up off malachite-colored matrix. The contrast in both color and texture is striking, making this miniature the most dramatic of the lot for my taste. These crystals are razor-sharp, to 1.3 cm in size. NO damage at all on the display face, only to a few crystals hanging off the back end and not facing out anyhow. In person, this is much more 3-dimensional than the photo appears.
MEXMAL-03 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 450 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico miniature, 4.2 x 3.4 x 2 cm
A beautiful miniature composed of a number of stout crystals to 2.5 cm, intergrown like a sculpture. VERY aesthetic and 3-dimensional! It is pristine and complete all around, as well. Although not expensive, this is actually one of my favorites of the miniatures in the lot, just a stylish specimen.
MEXMAL-04 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 2500 SOLD Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico small cabinet, 7.5 x 5.7 x 4.1 cm
A KILLER small cab with a razor-sharp 2 cm crystal showing tsumeb-style chatoyance, perched atop a jackstraw cluster of other crystals. This cluster is more gracile than robust, though it looks thick in the photo. Of all the pieces here, this is the one that could be most mistaken for Tsumeb.
MEXMAL-05 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 3500 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico cabinet, 14 x 11 x 6 cm
A major showpiece, in a case, this is a CABINET-sized specimen, one of only several recovered in pristine condition! This plate is complete all over its surface and in person is much more appealing than a photo can show, because of the complex 3-dimensional surface (see lower-left closeup for a good idea of what the texture is, as well). For that matter, a large plate this size with so many sharp crystals isn't common from anywhere, but for Mexico its pretty unprecedented. For wahtever reason, the azurite and malachite deposits here have seldom produced large specimens of any quality.
MEXMAL-06 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 2750 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico small cabinet, 8.2 x 7.1 x 2.6 cm
On eof my personal favorites of the entire lot, this tree-like specimen fetures a literally arborescent, canopy-like cluster of solidly intergrown crystals spraying up from matrix. The crystals are exceedingly sharp and reach 1.5 cm in size. In person , this has silky/velvety texture to it, and is incredibly appealing.
MEXMAL-07 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 1950 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico cabinet, 9.5 x 6 x 2.8 cm
A large, sculptural 3-dimensional specimen that is very elegant in overall composition, with crystals to 2.5 cm linked one to another from top to bottom. It is more sharp and 3-D in person, and one of the finer pieces in this size range for the robust size of the crystals in an elegant arrangement. I love these freestanding clusters with robust crystals atop, as the style is very different from anything found before in Mexico or Tsumeb, and thus distinct for this new mine.
MEXMAL-08 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 1250 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico cabinet, 10.4 x 7.2 x 4.3 cm
A very nice large plate with crystal of 2.5 cm at the apex, and sharp, velvety crystals to 1.5 cm covering the rest of the plate - which is actually solid malachite, all around. Tilted back for optimal display, it presents a series of foothills leading up the peak at back, and is very colorful overall because of the shimmering reflections from all the velvety-textured crystals.
MEXMAL-09 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 2450 SOLD Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico small cabinet, 8.4 x 5.3 x 3.7 cm
A truly outstanding sculptural specimen with excellent 3-dimensionality, curving in upon itself visually as the crystals lead the eye to the crevasse in the middle; and this in turn only serves to further emphasize the larger crystals (to 2.5 cm) hanging in the air above it! The large crystals atop are robust and totally different from Tsumeb in style, making this a very distinct specimen. Outstanding quality all around, this is a floater as well.
MEXMAL-10 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 1750 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico cabinet, 11.4 x 9.2 x 4 cm
A dramatic piece that features unusually sharp crystals stacked one upon the other to the apex, with more robust, curving crystals in the lower left as a pedestal. This is a very dramatic, 3-dimensional specimen that like many from this mine, is nearly freestanding and has quite a different look to it than a cluster of crystals from Tsumeb would have, in the way they are assembled so elegantly together to make a sculpture.
MEXMAL-11 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 850 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico cabinet, 11 x 9.4 x 3.2 cm
A beautiful plate with sharp crystals literally sticking out at you and every which way, very dramatic for the price!
MEXMAL-12 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 750 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico small cabinet, 6.3 x 4.4 x 3.1 cm
A sharp piece with crystals to 2.2 cm in a cluster that is perched upon matrix infused with malachite, and so colored a lighter green. The contrast visually is much better in person, as this is a very 3-dimensional specimen, hard to photograph. A small bit of calcite is attached to one malachite crystal tip, and otherwise all those crystals in the rosette atop are showing full terminations.
MEXMAL-14 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 225 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico miniature, 5.2 x 3.4 x 3.2 cm
A jackstraw cluster of crystals , intergrown, shooting every which way! The terminations are sharper-than-usual for this pocket, more steeply terminated than most.
MEXMAL-15 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 250 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico small cabinet, 7.2 x 5 x 3.4 cm
Sharp crystals to 2.5 cm in a rich, 3-dimensional cluster. The larger crystals above overhang, but do not block, view of the sharp terminations beneath. MUCH better in person!
MEXMAL-16 - Malachite ps. Azurite - $ 450 Milpillas Mine, near Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico small cabinet, 6.3 x 5.3 x 4.9 cm
Only a very few specimens have these splayed, fat crystals. This one features two cmplexly surfaced sharp crystals to 6 cm, intergrown. It is a very 3-dimensional piece in person. There is som eminor bruising on the large left crystal, but the lighter green spots on the righthand crystal seem to be a second generation of microcrystallized , lighter colored malachite, atop naturally stepped terminations.
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