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Acanthite
Acanthite
Imiter, Atlas Mountains, Morocco
Apophyllite with Scolecite
Apophyllite with Scolecite
Jalisgoan, near Jalgoan, Maharashtra State, India
Celestite
Celestite
Rockwood, Michigan
Olmiite on Calcite
Olmiite on Calcite
N Chwanning II Mine, Kuruman, Republic of South Africa
Opal var. Hyalite
Opal var. Hyalite
San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Sphalerite on Quartz
Sphalerite on Quartz
Shuikoushan Lead/Zinc Mine, Chaling, Hunan Province, China
Cuprite

Cuprite

sold
Locality
Rubtsovsky Mine, Altai Krai, Siberia, Russia
Minerals
Cuprite
Dimensions
2.7 x 2 x 2.1 cm
Size class
Thumbnail
SID
CUPRITE6

The cuprites from the Rubtsovskiy Mine in Russia are widely considered the best ever found. The Rubtsovskly Mine is an operating copper mine, and the oxidation zone has produced Cuprites, Azurites, native copper, silver, and iodine minerals like Miersite. I have been following the production for the last two years, to better understand how these are unique and what pieces stand out from "the crowd." About 95+% of the production have damage of some kind to a corner or edge. This is largely due to the miners who when extracting crystals from the kaolin clay zone (which protects the Cuprites), they drop them into their pockets, and they get dinged. 

This is an all around good example of twinned inter-penetrating crystals. Good condition with a little contact at the base (where it attached), very slight rubbing to a corner (need a 10x loupe to see it). it weighs 23 grams.

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