Shattuckite on Shattuckite

Unknown Owner

Help improve this recordNo owner is registered for this specimen yet. If it's yours or you know more about it, you can add the owner, provenance, publications and other details.

Shattuckite is a rare copper silicate-hydroxide with prime pieces mined and recovered in the DRC in 2013 and 2014, some of the richest of the species to date. This piece consists of a botryoidal surface of medium blue botryoids of shattuckite dotted with numerous, 2.0 mm, tiny spheres of a second generation of shattuckite. Edges of the piece reveal the radial divergent sprays that comprise the botryoids in a cross-sectional view around the periphery that are sky-blue in color. There is a large, 4.0 cm across broken botryoid (what we call the rounded growths) at the top that nicely shows the radial divergent internal structure in detail, and accents the piece quite well. These textures are very similar to the crystallization habit of pectolite. There are a few different hues of shattuckite displayed about the piece from the striking, medium blue botryoidal surface to the cross-sectional, divergent, sky blue, radial sprays around the margin. This is a very representative and attractive piece from the find that produced the largest and showiest pieces of the species ever produced to date. Good specimens of shattuckite like this are very rarely seen available today. Part of the reason is that the material is jewelry grade, for carving into cabochons, and probably 70% of this pocket zone production was cut for the jewelry trade.