My Etsy Shop

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Chrysocolla Pseudomorph after Azurite, Silica Pit, Ray Mine, Arizona

I build treasuries at Etsy showcasing jewelry artists who use all natural stones in their creations (link:  Treasury lists by Maryanne Fender on Etsy)  Coincidentally I had decided to showcase chrysocolla jewelry this weekend and here I have arrived at Chrysocolla in the thumbnail collection.  This is a pretty cool pseudomorph but I am a bit dismayed that this is the only Chrysocolla I have in my thumbnail collection.  I have sold some really great Ray Mine and Inca del Oro specimens over the years and have failed to keep one.  If I find a thumbnail specimen for my collection I will revisit Chyrsocolla on the blog.

A pseudomorph is a mineral that has taken the crystal shape of another mineral.  In this thumbnail this piece of the earth started life as an azurite crystal then molecule by molecule chrysocolla replaced the azurite. The Carnegie Museum has a page which shows examples of the different types of pseudomorphs:
Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Hillman Hall of Minerals ...

 A few years ago Jeff Young won the prestigious Desautels' award for his outstanding pseudomorph display.  At the same Tucson show he displayed an equally outstanding case demonstrating the process of pseudomorphism.  John Veevaert wrote about it in his show report.  If you want to know what is shaking at the major mineral shows be sure to bookmark John's show report, for mineral aficionados it is a must read: Mineral Shows - Trinity Mineral Co


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