Azurite with Malachite

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This old-time New Cornelia mine Azurite crystal, or joined crystals, presents an amazing 'wet' lustre, so bright and glossy that it looks like the famous more recent crystals from Milpillas in Mexico that are often included amongst the world's best. Internally, the Azurite crystals are replaced by green Malachite, with the blue glossy Azurite forming a very thin layer on the outer surface. Whether or not the original Azurite crystals were completely replaced (pseudomorphed) and the coated with a later generation of Azurite, or if the replacement was from the inside out and just stopped before the outer layer is open to debate. Either way, this is a classic from this famous, and now closed, large open pit copper mine in Arizona. The corners of the Azurite crystals, where the internal Malachite is exposed, show some minor signs of impact and this might be why some of the Azurite layer is missing, but a few small areas on the front crystal faces where Malachite is exposed look to be natural depressions where the crystal faces are stepped inwards. At 3 cm tall, and the largest crystal reaching almost that length, this is a really fine size for this classic.