Azurite, Malachite

7 x 6 x 4.1 cm. A striking and aesthetic, 3-dimensional, mounded cluster of sparkling, vivid, azure-blue and green, azurite and malachite botryoids from an uncommon locality - Seabra, Bahia, Brazil. Until this find in the early 1990s I had not seen any azurite from Brazil. The largest ballshaped aggregates like this one date to that find, though the locality has produced since larger plates of smaller crystals. Most of the botryoids are azurite, but some are partially malachite and partially azurite. These were caught in the middle of pseudomorphing. One usually thinks of world-class gem pegmatite minerals and rare species from Brazil. So, to see oxidized copper minerals from Brazil is truly unusual and rare. These came out in a small find and caused quite a stir, at the time. These are not common at all, especially the combination of both colors.



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Photo added: 29th Mar 2006