Large, very sharp and pointed crystals of azurite have here been pseudomorphed into malachite except only for the tips, which stick out like blue mountaintops on the velvet background of the malachite. The malachite is velvety and has a pleasing, dark evergreen color. All crystals are perfect and the piece is complete all around, 360-degrees. It is a very 3-dimensional cluster, overall. This particular style is not common among the past pseudomorph finds here, and really leapt out at me when I saw the piece. It was the sharpest such group of this habit in a small lot mined a few months ago, which I got. While many malachite pseudos have come out, they have simply been, for the most part, small crystals or large clusters of the same kind of style (generally flattish crystals). This piece, to me, stands out from that crowd for its form, overall shape, and the blue tips. As a bonus, tiny little gem crystals of azurite decorate the bottom right periphery. Milpillas azurite has set a new standard in what can be expected for the species, and for Mexico as well. For the first time since the great years of Tsumeb, truly world class azurites are available. It will not last. We have closely followed the production from the Milpillas mine for five years now, and it is expected that the steady trickle of good specimens will wind down over 2011 as the deposit is mined through the oxidation zone where the good stuff occurs. Joe Budd photos.