$60Median
1Sold (12 mo)
$60Last sale
Paratacamite specimens for sale
5 for sale · $250–$7,000 USD
12 in the gallery
Paratacamite is a trigonal copper-zinc hydroxychloride mineral. It typically forms green, translucent crystals with a vitreous luster and a conchoidal to uneven fracture, often exhibiting a rhombohedral habit. The mineral’s composition includes copper and zinc, with zinc essential for its stability, setting it apart from clinoatacamite and the zinc end-member herbertsmithite.
- Formula
- Cu3(Cu,Zn)Cl2(OH)6
- Classification notes
- Trigonal copper-zinc hydroxychloride; Zn is essential for stability, distinct from clinoatacamite and the Zn end-member herbertsmithite.
Key characteristics
- Crystal system
- trigonal
- Mohs hardness
- 3–3.5
- Specific gravity
- 3.74
- Luster
- vitreous
- Transparency
- translucent
- Color
- green
- Streak
- green
- Cleavage
- good
- Fracture
- conchoidal, uneven
- Crystal habit
- rhombohedral
Buy Paratacamite specimens
View all 5Where Paratacamite is found
Top localities
- Levant Mine2 specimens
- Lily Mine2 specimens
- Wheal Hazard1 specimen
About Paratacamite
Specimens are most widely associated with copper-rich environments where secondary alteration concentrates copper minerals, with notable occurrences reported from Peru and the United Kingdom among others. Fine paratacamite crystals can display a vivid green color and clear translucency, making them attractive to mineral enthusiasts who prize crystal form and brightness. Collectors value the mineral for its chemical uniqueness—its zinc-containing formula—and for the way it complements related copper minerals in mixed assemblages.
