Copper pseudomorph after Azurite ("Copper Rose") with Malachite

A lovely complete "floater" "Copper Rose" specimen featuring fine, sharp, bladed crystals of what were once Azurite and later replaced by Native Copper. The piece is pristine and beautiful from several angles. The surface of the specimen has a slight overgrowth of attractive green Malachite, which is formed by the Copper oxidizing. A charming thumbnail specimen of these beloved pseudomorphs from New Mexico.

These specimens are some of my favorite minerals in the world. They are unique in the fact that they are not only pseudomorphs, but what makes them so rare and special is the fact that you have a native metal replacing a mineral that contains that metal. Essentially these specimens started out as a deposit of Native Copper that was oxidized and combined with carbonate molecules to form crystallized "rosettes" of Azurite. Then a second deposit of Native Copper arrived, which completely coated and replaced the preexisting Azurite. It is, to the best of my knowledge, the only instance in the mineral world where a specimen starts out as a native metal, alters to a secondary mineral in an oxidized zone of said metal, and is eventually replaced by the same native metal, essentially taking it back to its original state. This is why the "Copper Roses" from New Mexico are so extraordinary.

Specimen # CUNM72005