Azurite and Malachite with Azurite pocket (late 1800s)

$3,500.00

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The ArkenstoneFeatured

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Our favorite of the many polished freeform style carvings in this important, unique, historic collection: this is a particularly elegant specimen showing off multiple azurite crystal pockets within an intense azurite ore mass. The piece is a polished specimen from late-1800s classic azurite from the famous Bisbee Mine that was found, miraculously, when the mine manager's descendants sold off the family stash a century after Ben Williams packed it up (or his estate did). The Larson family was able to purchase it from a descendant, and was surprised to find both rough material and specimens inside boxes packed in the early 1900s. Rough material like this had not been seen in 100 years! Polished expertly on all sides by master lapidary Bud Standley, who specializes in working with copper minerals, this is a difficult to make masterpiece of azurite carving. 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 found the Ben Williams Bisbee collection; and also for Wayne Thompson with Morenci azurite. 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. While they sold much of the collection, this update features pieces from the Ben Williams collection, from the late 1800s, that were kept back another 2 decades in the collection of Bill Larson as a special suite. This was one of the flagship large specimens in the suite, never before offered for sale. 81 grams.