Primary Malachite on Quartz

$1,400.00

$40.00 shipping
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Tucson, Arizona, USA

7,543 for sale·132 sold

'Primary' Malachite is an unusual mineral, but one which can, as seen here, be stunningly beautiful. The 'Primary' prefix is rarely used for minerals, and is not, as you might expect, used to denote that it has formed in a primary mineralizing environment, as opposed to secondary alteration. Instead, it denotes that most Malachite occurrences are replacements of other minerals, or show forms - like - stalactites - rather devoid of individual discernible crystals. So, it is extremely rare to see Malachite in its own discrete crystals, other than acicular sprays. This rather large miniature to smaller cabinet display specimen is from a recent exceptional find at Mindingi mine in Kambove District, DR Congo, a find that has shown us what a quality mineral Primary Malachite can be. Formed on a thin bed of Quartz crystals are triangular, almost sphenoidal Primary Malachite crystals, mostly reaching 7 or 8 mm across, semi-translucent deep bottle green to forest green with a glassy to velvety lustre. They form a dense layer almost completely covering the display surface and around the edges, where the light shines through, their emerald green colour stands out. The colour, lustre and form of these crystals is remarkable and easily mistaken for Libethenite. This specimen is exceptional in quality and a wonderfully balanced piece all round.