Quartz on Chrysocolla (Gem Silica)

Item Description

This wonderful, classic, old-time piece of the beautiful examples of drusy, sparkling crystallized Quartz coating rich blue-green Chrysocolla on matrix from the famed Ray Mine. Some of the finest examples of this material ever found came from this locality. You might see them labeled as "Gem Silica" in some cases, but they are essentially Quartz over Chrysocolla. These stones haven't been mined in several decades, and the quality, combined with saturation and consistency of color, puts them in the top tier for the material. It's hard to capture the color in a photo / video, but it's rather eye-catching and the color is certainly about as rich as it gets. This stone is from the estate of former Phoenix area dealer Marvin Rockey. Rockey's Gems was a significant business in the early days of Arizona lapidary material, and he was a prominent dealer and buyer in the Arizona area of local lapidary and carving material from throughout the state, including Bisbee, the Ray Mine, Miami mines, and the Peridot finds on Indian lands in the 1950s-1970s. This stone was kept back from the retail stock for its quality and beauty, in a tray of special material, and was found in his estate (sold to us only recently). Today, these are not only rarely seen but of a highly desirable old quality, and sought after by collectors and gem / jewelry enthusiasts alike.