CH17-30
Malachite
Tonglushan Mine, Daye City, Hubei Province, China
Large Cabinet, 22.6 x 12.6 x 5.6 cm
SOLD

This incredible malachite specimen is highlighted by rounded, tapering, multiple vertical spires in parallel growth, and to 10 cm in length. The rich, dark green malachite fingers exhibit a lovely satiny luster. Spectacular! This is completely differnet in person from ANYTHING I have seen come out of Africa, and I personally love the elegance and biomorphic look of the best of these Tonglushan pieces. A somewhat dated but accessible museum currently sits over the site of the old mining entry tunnels, and features exhibits on the mining and refining technology and how these changed over 2500 years. Until I visited the museum myself and saw the working mine still going adjacent to the museum area, I had no idea that modern specimens came out of here. Asking around the mining town and making inquiries for the last several years resulted in some miners bringing out specimens to show me. With the quantity and low prices of so much African malachite flooding the Chinese market (it is used mostly for decor and wellness and until recently there was not a sense that native Chinese minerals might be more valauble on a species to species comparison of big malachites), there simply was not a good domestic "market pull" to bring these amazing malachites out of rural southern China and onto the mineral market in the larger cities that served as mineral dealing hubs for the last 20 years as the market developed (Changsha, Guilin, etc.) Thus, these amazing malachites from China itself were mostly destroyed even as African material was selling, and I am thrilled to have rescued as many as I have from that fate, some several dozen over the last few years! While most are damaged in mining and handling, there are the occasional treasures that have come our way, and we are happy to present them here. Comes with a custom lucite base for display.