Cuprite (unusual hoppered crystal) - image 1

Cuprite (unusual hoppered crystal) - image 2

Cuprite (unusual hoppered crystal)

Unknown Owner

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Out of all of the specimens in the pocket (about 2 dozen good pieces), there were just a few of this style that struck me immediately. It features a stunning, deep red, elongated cuprite crystal that is unlike any I have ever seen from any location: it has the form of extended chevrons one atop the other, laying flat upon matrix. I am told that such a bizarre flattened crystal forms due to extreme solution effects as it grew in the pocket. There were a few other large plates with partial crystals that we could not salvage, leaving this as the only significant miniature-sized example of this unusual style - totally different from cuprite from anywhere. It is hard to photograph, and I can say it is more colorful and just plain mesmerizing in person.