Chrysocolla, Malachite, Quartz

Item Description

This item is part of a special benefit auction for the Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals (ricenorthwestmuseum.org). Items are either deaccessions from the museum's collection or were donated by generous supporters listed below.

Auction open April 1, 2021 through April 17, 2021.

Billing for this auction will occur on Monday, April 19, for payment using PayPal or credit card. Shipping will be billed at cost, or please contact brandy@mineralauctions.com if you'd like to plan on picking up items at future shows or during a stop through Dallas.

This is a ridiculously large, complete, unrepaired polished slab of classic lapidary-grade chrysocolla and silica, from this important historic USA locality. It is 37.5 cm wide, and simply gorgeous. It has rich colors throughout, with none of the typical rock interruptions we see in generally smaller pieces, making this an exceptional rarity. Donated to the Rice Museum at its inception by Richard and Helen Rice in 1997. and it has remained there ever since. Specimens of ANY large size from this mine are rare enough, but a piece of such quality normally would have been cut up for the lapidary carving market, long ago. Because of the infusion of silica fluids, it is hard and takes a good polish. This material is often sold at gem shows and as jewelry material, by the gram weight and with various mine names given. These pieces probably came out in the 1950s or early 1960s. They are from the Live Oak mine, Miami, Globe-Miami District, Gila County, Arizona, USA. The mine was owned and operated by the Inspiration Consolidated Copper Company, which was bought out by Cyprus and then Phelps-Dodge, now Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold. Those who worked there referred to it as the Inspiration mine. 1825 grams (that is HUGE!)