NATIVE Copper

$4,500.00

$40.00 shipping
Seller offers an extended return window of up to 30 days
Ships from USA

Crystal ClassicsFeatured

Tucson, Arizona, USA

7,543 for sale·132 sold

Although many good specimens of Native Copper were recovered from the Tsumeb mine, this native metal was never abundant and tended to be embedded within Calcite. In some cases the Native Copper could be exposed by carful physical removal of the Calcite, while acid etching can also be employed. The habit of Native Copper at Tsumeb ranges from, quite commonly, hackly to well developed crystalline structures. If you are unfamiliar with the term ‘hackly’ it describes, typically, a native metal with sharp, rough edges with no euhedral crystals, more resembling a fine metal swarf. Perched on a granular mass of white Calcite, a complex crystalline structure of intricate branching dendritic stems and rods forms a filigree of Native Copper, entirely masked by a surface coating of bluish-green Malachite. The angled branches form both stellate convergent and divergent arrays, each clearly rotated by 60 degrees. With a vivid imagination, the Native Copper appears like a praying mantis, poised on the Calcite and ready to strike! It’s a beautiful oversized miniature from the Tsumeb mine in Namibia.