Cubic copper crystals are extremely rare in nature. This piece is made up of stacked cubes, sharp and obvious, to 7 mm in size individually. They form stacks and chains, though, and make for a robust cluster in combination. The piece as a whole has good aesthetics and a rich, natural patina untouched by acids and cleaning agents. It was illustrated in the copper country article in Rocks & Minerals, in 2007. The small, sadly short-lived Ojibway Mine is famous for such cubic coppers, though even here they were uncommon - and date to the early 1900s (the mine ran from 1907 - 1913 and produced 50,000 pounds of ore, only). Such pieces are true classics! BETTER IN PERSON

Intricate mass of crystallized wires that resembles a broomstick. There are clear crystals visible, as well as some possible twinning. This is an interesting specimen from quite the remote location.

An exceptionally sharp specimen composed entirely of intergrown, twinned, razor-sharp copper crystals grown together in a very aesthetic cluster ex Scalisi collection, and probably a very old piece from one of the museum collections he got into over the years. Joe Budd photos