The Crystal Circle
Specimen: Standard Gallery: Standard
Olmiite on matrix
Olmiite on matrix
N Chwanning II Mine, Kuruman, Republic of South Africa
Opal (polished)
Opal (polished)
Jalisco, Mexico
Quartz "Faden"
Quartz "Faden"
Dara Ismael Khan District, Waziristan, Pakistan
Zoisite Var. Tanzanite
Zoisite Var. Tanzanite
Arusha, Merelani, Tanzania
Corundum Var. Sapphire
Corundum Var. Sapphire
Balangoda, near Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka
Spinel (rough and cut)
Spinel (rough and cut)
Mogok, Sagaing District, Mandalay Division, Burma (Myanmar)
Cuprite w/Silver

Cuprite w/Silver

sold
Locality
Rubtsovsky Mine, Altai Krai, Siberia, Russia
Minerals
Cuprite
Dimensions
3.7 x 3.1 x 1.8 cm
Size class
Miniature
SID
CUPRITE8

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. 

 These shiny blocky cuprites have a good thick section of spongy silver on the back (rare occurence worldwide). It weighs 37 grams.

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