TUC17A-09
Copper ps. after Azurite
Copper Rose Mine, near Georgetown, Grant Co., New Mexico, USA
Miniature, 3.7 x 3.0 x 2.8 cm
$2,450.00 $1,837.50
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A complete floater of display quality for one of the rarest American pseudomorphs, and a highly interesting one at that! Why is it, that of all the copper mines in the world and all the azurites, that ONLY HERE do we see a replacement of azurite by copper! These are sometimes reported to be pure copper, sometimes a mix of copper and calcite. You would think that in all of the hundreds of copper mines with azurite, it might happen elsewhere! But, seems not. This is a complete floater with no visible point of attachment, this is an excellent example of native copper replacing in full the previous crystals of another species, in this case a rosette of azurite. The sharpness and size of this specimen for the locale are outstanding! The piece is a significant specimen for what it is, but also just a stunning mineral specimen in general. It really looks like someone just cast the copper in the form of an Azurite rose. It is that sharp and well-defined, with moderate luster and a rich chocolate-brown patina to it. Many of these fine pseudos were collected by George English and A.E. Foote in the 1890's and were sold to Eastern collectors and also to European collectors, and they are slowly being repatriated. I obtained this one in a collection overseas, and previously it was in the noted USA collection of Mel and Grace Dyck (sold off in the early 2000s). This is a classic New Mexico locality.