Azurite

A superb stellate burst of bladed, tabular Azurite crystals from the classic French locality at Chessy-les-Mines, the type locality of Azurite. Copper mining at Chessy goes back to the Middle Ages where a stockwork is exploited. The blue carbonate mineral was initially named Chessylite but was changed to Azurite, derived from the Persian name for areas of blue mineralisation. The Azurite crystals are a very deep blue, with lighter drusy zones in the central areas of the crystals. Some of the Azurite crystals exhibit a 'saw-tooth' habit, gradually curving towards their termination. The underside shows a typical creamy clay matrix from which the Azurite is extracted. This is a very attractive Azurite from Chessy-les-Mines, located in the Rhône Region of lower eastern France. This miniature is accompanied with a narrow slip of paper (a mini-label) written “Azzurrite [sic] xx, Chessy” in a lovely elegant, flowing hand.