Native Copper

This beautiful, cabinet size specimen of Native Copper is composed of many Copper crystals, the larger, more spherical crystals displaying combinations of the tetrahexahedral and dodecaheral form.  It is from the famous copper mining district of Houghton County in Upper Michigan, one of the three counties of the Keweenaw Peninsula, a large area of land which projects into Lake Superior.  Although quite difficult to determine, the largest crystal is around 3 cm across and all have a wonderful patina of dark metallic bronze tinted chocolate brown, dull red and sooty black, just as good Native Copper specimens ought to be.  There are much smaller areas where the copper has oxidised to verdigris in shades of leaf and bluish green.  The specimen’s base is embedded with granular white Quartz, some of which contains fresh, untarnished Native Copper, as micro flecks, the colour of copper pipes.  This is a beautiful Native Copper displaying excellent crystals and a gorgeous aged patina.