Azurite with Malachite (freeform carving)

$3,500.00

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The ArkenstoneFeatured

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Ben Williams became the General Manager of the Copper Queen from 1882 to 1889 and had a stunning personal collection that was only relatively recently brought to market by the Larson's circa 2000; after staying in a family descendant's attic for nearly a century. This is one of the flagship large carved specimens kept by the Larson family until now, as a commemoration of the rediscovery of this famous lost collection. By special commission, a number of the old 1800s-era Bisbee rough pieces were carved by master carver Bud Standley, who specializes in working with copper minerals. Expertly trimmed and carved with the natural shape of the rock in mind, this combination specimen/lapidary piece shows the mastercraft of Standley's ability to see within and bring out those inner patterns in the copper minerals he is so famous for working with. You can see the care and time it took to plan and work this piece to leave so much natural terrain, and yet polish carefully the line of malachite on one side of the piece; and "orbs" and "eyes" of azurite on the hills around the malachite valley. The other side is a completely freeform carving, in contrast to the "accented" but natural front side as we prefer it as specimen collectors. It does look good from both sides! Such large pieces of Bisbee rough have not been had to work within in a century. The piece is robust, yet elegant; and shows off colors that are dominated by the most vibrant rich malachite green hues, accented by azurite. This is a piece of mineral art with so much history and display impact. A native of Arizona, lapidary artist Bud Standley grew up near the copper mines. He learned to carve gemstones in 1971, at age 19; and did all the work for the Larson family when they obtained the Ben Williams Bisbee collection; and also for Wayne Thompson with Morenci azurite. While the Larson's sold much of the collection at that time (early 2000s), this update features pieces from the Ben Williams collection that were kept back another 2 decades in the collection of Bill Larson as a special suite. 319 grams.