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Mineral Specimens with Copper
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4.7 x 3.1 x 1.1 cm. Half-breeds" of silver and copper are highly prized by collectors. This is a 91-gram nugget of solid silver and copper. The silver you can see as the three large light-colored spots set in the copper. You sometimes see this half-breed phenomenon in crystallized specimens from Michigan - not as often nuggets. From the collection of noted California collector Charles Hansen.
2.9 x 2.6 x 1.4 cm. The vast majority of the fine crystallized coppers that have come out of the Itauz Mine in Russia are not on matrix. This small mini is, however - a "tree" of sharp spinel twins, jutting off the matrix.
4.9 x 3.8 x 3.4 cm. These half-breeds combining native copper and silver in a single specimen are sought-after by collectors. This one is primarily copper, but you can see areas of silver mixed in with it. It was evidently a knob sticking into a pocket, as it has been sawn off flat on the bottom so it sits up nicely. From the collection of noted California collector Charles Hansen.
5.9 x 3.3 x 2.9 cm. A rich crystallized copper specimen collected at the Ojibway Mine in the late 1980s. This mine worked the northeastern end of the Kearsarge amygdaloidal lode. The specimen consists almost entirely of chunky crystals with rough surfaces, intergrown with a sparing amount of matrix.
7.8 x 5.4 x 3.9 cm. A stunning specimen of Michigan copper and silver together in one specimen, that we will not call a "half-breed" here because the copper and silver are not densely intermixed, but simply intergrown and still distinctive rather than an amalgam/mix. And, this is so much more AESTHETIC than the usual half-breed, for many reasons. First, the copper has this gorgeous jagged form, and on top of that, is IRIDESCENT! It contrasts beautifully with the shiny silver, which has actually formed crude crystals instead of the usual "lump" upon massive copper most half-breeds come as.
6.9 x 4.3 x 3.8 cm. An old-timer copper specimen from Ajo, out of the collection of noted California collector Charles Hansen. It is composed of large, crude, chunky crystals, with a sculptural form.
3.5 x 2.4 x 1.3 cm. This is a natural "half-breed" nugget, combining what appears to be just about equal parts of native copper and silver. These half-breeds are Michigan classics, and prized by collectors. From the notable California collection of Charles Hansen.
18.3 x 13.9 x 2.4 cm. This is just an incredibly impressive specimen of crystallized copper from Michigan, which came out of the well-known Hauck Collection. It is completely composed of sharp crystals, from top to bottom, with a pretty fan form. It has a really pretty antique patina, which does not come through too well in the photo - the photo make the surface of the crystals look a bit rough, but they are not at all - they have a fine luster. Despite its elegant form, this specimen is very substantial and thick, not just a thin sheet - it is really heavy in the hand.
6.5 x 3.9 x 0.5 cm. This thin, dendritic, "fan" of 100% crystallized copper has been colored red by the minute inclusion of cuprite. There are also several, lustrous, red, SHARP crystals of cuprite, to 1mm across, scattered on the copper specimen. A significant piece because few Tsumeb collections are graced by an aesthetic copper: despite its mineralogical wealth of copper based minerals, Tsumeb seems to have rarely produced good primary copper in crystalline form. Ex. Charlie Key Collection.
6.7 x 5.6 x 5.2 cm. This is a very unusual combination of mineral species, at Tsumeb or anywhere to my knowledge. Crudely formed copper crystals with a fine patina frame many intergrown crystals of lustrous and translucent, gemmy smithsonite, to 1 cm across. Several of the sharp smithsonite rhombohedra are included by copper, something I have not seen before in this habit. Copper is actually quite rare at Tsumeb, in native form. Ex. Charlie Key Collection.
2.0 x 1.5 x 1.3 cm. One of two thumbnails of a set Charlie had, this is orange calcite colored so by minute inclusions of chalcotrichite. This is a very rare and desirable habit for the locality, and this is overall a fine, showy thumbnail specimen. Ex. Charlie Key.
5.9 x 5.4 x 5.4 cm. A truly sculptural specimen of Arizona copper, that looks like a tree! The entire "tree" and most of the "base" is composed of crude crystals, with a reddish patina. Some of the matrix remains mixed with the copper on the bottom of the specimen. Ex. Dave Stoudt collection.
2.0 x 1.7 x 0.9 cm, 2.0 x 1.8 x 0.9 cm. Here is a wonderful thumbnail set consisting of a crystal of Aragonite and a pseudomorph of Copper after Aragonite from the famous locality of Corocoro. These floater specimens are well known from Bolivia for their great form and color, and this set is great way to illustrate the "before and after" effect which is rare to find for most pseudomorphs, especially from the same locality. These pieces are some of the most well known and highly sought after pseudomorphs around. This set is a very fine example of this material, and it was very difficult to find a pair of crystals that matched so well for shape, thickness and size. There hasn't been any significant amount of these specimens on the market in approximately 25 years, and they are often only found in old collections. Ex. Brian Kosnar.
4.6 x 3.1 x 0.6 cm. This is a superb miniature of Copper from the Ajo mine. The specimen features a pronounced, razor sharp, octahedron jutting out of a crystallized group of flattened "Spinel-Law" twins and octahedral Copper crystals. The overall aesthetics and quality make this a wonderful display specimen from this famous Arizona locality. The specimen comes with the George Godas label stating that it was formerly in the Harvard Collection.
18.5 x 15.0 x 11.8 cm. An astonishingly good copper by ANY standard, this is also one of unique historical import: according to several people whom I consulted it should be one of the finest surviving early copper country coppers that is well-documented. It is certainly the best known from this old mine. It is a beautiful specimen with a natural old patina, and sharp crystals of several habits accented by calcite. The documentation is ironclad, between the Mine Company presentation label, the old Academy display label, and the labels glued to the specimen. Ex. Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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