Detailed information
Dimensions
68 x 58 x 51
mm
Locality
Calabona Mine Alghero, Sassari Province Sardinia, Italy
Condition
No recorded repairs
An absolute show-stopping Azurite from the Calabona mine at Alghero in Sassari Province, Sardinia, Italy, an abandoned mine that worked a porphyry copper deposit. Due to the often low grade nature of porphyry deposits, well crystallised specimens are very rare, a fact that makes this excellent specimen even more remarkable. A group of totally gemmy, electric azure-blue crystals grow in parallel alignment and up to 3 cm tall and 5 to 7 mm wide. Their colour is exquisite and all have a brilliant glassy lustre that catches the light beautifully. The Azurite crystals stand vertically in a large shallow vug in a limonitic matrix. The walls of the vug are dark chocolate-brown and richly dusted with micro-rosettes of emerald-green Malachite. Of the numerous Azurite crystals, two have slight chips on one side of their terminations, but this is very minor and cannot be seen without very close scrutiny. A wonderful museum grade specimen of Azurite with Malachite from Sardinia.