Iridescent Chalcopyrite on Quartz

Description

A broad, sparkling Quartz display face is dotted with iridescent Chalcopyrite in purple, blue and warm gold. Open recesses and delicate white crystal clusters create rich texture across this 320 g specimen.

This 320 g specimen from the Yaogangxian Mine presents a wide, densely crystallised Quartz face with sprays of fine white crystals over deeper grey recesses. Iridescent Chalcopyrite appears around the edges and between the Quartz, shifting from copper and gold to violet and blue as the light changes.

“Peacock ore” describes the colourful appearance of the Chalcopyrite here.

The finer crystalline growth described here adds another scale of detail to the specimen. Many small faces contribute to the sparkling surface, while the larger outline establishes its overall form. That combination is worth appreciating beyond the main colour: surface texture, spacing and the distribution of growth all help distinguish this individual piece.

The accompanying Quartz brings a silicate crystal habit into the association. Its surfaces and crystal outlines contrast with the featured mineral, giving the specimen more than one kind of growth to examine. The way the minerals occupy the same piece is part of its character: the setting retains their natural relationship and adds depth to the overall display.

The recorded Pyrite contributes a metallic element to the association. Light reflects from its faces differently to the non-metallic growth around it, allowing small metallic areas to stand out within the specimen. That contrast is a useful part of the display and gives the piece interest for collectors of mixed mineral associations, as well as the principal species.

Chalcopyrite is a copper-iron sulphide and an important copper ore mineral. It has a naturally brassy colour, although surface tarnish can introduce other tones. Despite a superficial resemblance to Pyrite, it is a different species with a different crystal structure. Distinct crystal growth and mineral associations make it interesting well beyond its economic role.

Its metallic reflections give a very different effect from transparent or pale associated minerals. When evaluating a specimen, it is useful to separate the colour of the surface from the shape of the underlying crystal. Surface colour alone does not establish how a piece was treated. The recorded condition and associations for this individual specimen remain the guide to those details.

The recorded origin is Yaogangxian Mine, Hunan Province, China. Within a collection of Chalcopyrite specimens, this locality gives the piece a geographical identity alongside its particular crystal habit and natural setting.

The specimen measures 10.5 × 7.5 × 3.5 cm, with a recorded weight of 320 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.

Care: Handle by the sturdier matrix, avoid knocks to the fine Quartz crystals and clean gently with a soft, dry brush.