Azurite with Malachite ps. Azurite - image 1

Azurite with Malachite ps. Azurite

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Azurite with malachite ps. azurite is one of Tsumeb's, and the mineral world's, classic combinations. This is a unique piece with an azurite (unaltered) in parallel and contrasted to an azurite replacement by malachite! The two main crystals here are elongated and prismatic. The azurite is lustrous, striated, well-terminated, and it has an above-average amount of blue glow to the reflected light. The malachite is a well-preserved pseudo after azurite, keeping the original form and having an attractive, velvety-green color. There are several smaller crystals that follow the same pattern. The large azurite has a small bit of chatter along a few edges, which is rather normal for these soft crystals, and there is a small amount of malachite on the back. But what really makes this specimen so good and aesthetic is the remarkable difference between the two main, adjoining crystals. The azurite remains nearly pristine, while its sibling is completely altered. This is a remarkable example of preferential alteration of one crystal and not another adjacent crystal for some complex chemical reason, which takes the aesthetics and mineral interest to an even higher level. Dr. Erika Pohl-Ströher - 59402