 | "A showy and excellent specimen of lustrous, dark royal-blue azurite crystals and malachite after azurite crystals from the recent finds at Kerrouchen, Morocco. Azurite is a very popular mineral because of its unparalleled color, a deep blue called "azure", hence its name. Azure is derived from the arabic word for blue. The color is due to the presence of copper (a strong coloring agent), and the way the copper chemically combines with the carbonate groups (CO3) and hydroxyls (OH). Azurite has been used as a dye for paints and fabrics for eons. Malachite is an impostor of its own. It frequently pseudomorphs the closely associated mineral azurite. A pseudomorph is a mineral specimen where the original mineral has been chemically replaced by another mineral, but the outward appearance is still retained. Pseudomorph means "false shape" in latin parlance. The transformation is fascinating and sometimes leaves a nearly perfect azurite crystal shape that is actually malachite. Often the transformation is incomplete and leaves a blue/green mineral specimen unlike any other. A gem trade name is used for ornamental stones with this combination called azur-malachite. " Location: Kerrouchen, Khenifra Province, Morocco
Size: 5.6 x 3.6 x 2.0 cm.
Weight: 1.5 lbs.
Quantity Available: 1 Price:
$175.00 |