Azurite rose

Unknown Owner

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One of the favorite classics of Southern Arizona or Northern Mexico collecting, is to find the old rosettes of azurite that used to come out in this ground that share geology despite the geopolitics above. While most people are familiar with the Bisbee azurite roses from circa 1900, and perhaps the Morenci style of azurite roses from a few finds in the 80s and 90s; the similar style of rosette azurite crystals from Mexico is somewhat more rare and seldom seen today. Generally, they came out 30-plus years ago, and are only found in some old collections. This collection of Ruben Avila, based in Mexico City, features a suite of roses from all 3 famous localities as one of his favorite subcollections within the generally contemporary material which was on display. Both a dealer and a collector, he would often exchange for pieces like this, presumably from older collections. This specimen is a sharp, vibrant rose with great color, sharp lines and detail, and excellent geometry. It is nearly pristine all around and a floater, with just a couple of insignificant minor rubs in back and bottom. For this size, it would be hard to find a better example outside of those in this secretive collection of a Mexico-based dealer-collector. Note that the several "Concepcion Roses" in the collection are generally a bit more lustrous and sharp than those from Morenci.