Azurite

Unknown Owner

A neat historical specimen from the Balkans. Dark blue lustrous crystals of azurite measuring to 0.3 cm in size are scattered throughout this brecciated matrix with minor malachite. In good condition. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video and dates to the very early 20th century, if not older. Specimens from this locality are rarely if ever seen available on the market today.Majdanpek in eastern Serbia is a historic mining district that has been worked since ancient times, with activity dating back to Roman periods for copper extraction. Modern large scale mining developed in the 20th century with open pit operations exploiting porphyry copper deposits hosted in volcanic and intrusive rocks. The district became one of the major copper producers in the region. In the oxidized zones of the deposit, secondary minerals formed, including azurite, which occurs as deep blue crystals and coatings often associated with malachite.