Libethenite

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Libethenite, a relatively rare copper phosphate hydroxide, forms dark green glassy patches with occasional euhedral crystals in a vuggy, iron rich Quartz gossan veinstone. This miniature, from Phoenix United mine at Minions in the Liskeard District of Cornwall, has several areas rich in Libethenite, yet let me emphasise most of these are massive, dark bottle green glassy patches and not particularly attractive, if your emphasis is on aesthetics. Better you know this up front. However, where crystals have developed, they are reasonably large for the locality. One particular crystal forms a well terminated bipyramid prism of intensely dark bottle green, measuring 6 mm wide, although this is partly hidden, nestling in a shallow vug.\n