Azurite

Unknown Owner

A grouping of lustrous deep blue bladed azurite crystals without matrix. In good condition all around and a nice thumbnail for this classic French locality.Chessy in Rhone, France, is a historic copper mining locality that was worked from at least the 18th century and became well known during the 19th century for its rich oxidized copper deposits. Mining was carried out in veins hosted in volcanic and sedimentary rocks, with production focused on copper ores. The district gained particular fame among collectors for its secondary minerals, especially azurite and malachite from the oxidized zones. Although mining activity declined and eventually ceased in the late 19th century, Chessy remains one of the classic mineral localities in Europe and is especially noted as the type locality for azurite.