Chrysocolla with Malachite & Azurite

Description

Turquoise-blue copper-mineral growth covers a richly textured reddish-brown matrix, with scattered green accents, natural cavities and fine sparkling druse.

The exact specimen shown in five photographs weighs 144 g and measures 8 × 6 × 5 cm. The mineral identification and locality are supplied with the specimen.

The open areas described in this piece contribute to its depth. Rather than a continuous flat surface, the growth can be followed around recesses and across changes in level. These spaces help distinguish the larger outline from the finer crystalline texture and give the specimen detail that can be appreciated as part of its three-dimensional form.

The recorded Malachite adds a second copper-mineral character to the specimen. Its green areas contrast with the other growth and help define boundaries, recesses and changes in texture. This relationship is an important part of the piece’s appeal: the minerals remain together on their natural setting, making it interesting for an association collection as well as for its principal mineral.

Chrysocolla is a copper-bearing hydrated silicate material commonly found in the oxidised portions of copper deposits. Blue and green colours are characteristic, and it often occurs as coatings, rounded growth or more massive material rather than prominent free-standing crystals. Its appeal is therefore frequently about colour distribution and surface texture.

A Chrysocolla specimen can show broad areas of colour interrupted by the natural host material or by other recorded copper minerals. These boundaries give the piece depth and make its mineral setting part of the display. Comparing the coloured surface with the outline of the whole specimen is especially useful here: a pleasing aggregate need not rely on large individual crystals.

The recorded origin is Kolwezi area, Katanga Copper Crescent, DR Congo. Within a collection of Chrysocolla specimens, this locality gives the piece a geographical identity alongside its particular crystal habit and natural setting.

The specimen measures 8 × 6 × 5 cm, with a recorded weight of 144 g. The proportions give a useful guide to its place in a display, with the individual crystal arrangement and mineral association remaining the principal points of interest.

Support the stable matrix or the supplied mount when moving the specimen, avoiding pressure on projecting growth. A secure indoor display allows its natural form and surface detail to be appreciated while protecting exposed crystal edges.