Cuprite on Native Copper

This reasonably large cabinet specimen (12.3 cm long) is from one of the many famous mines in the St. Day mining district of Gwennap in Cornwall, England.  Mines in this area include Wheal Gorland, Muttrall, Unity and Unity Wood.  The specimen is a fine example of crystallised Cuprite surrounding a core of Native Copper with interspersed granular milky white Quartz.  The Cuprite forms many dozens of highly lustrous metallic black octahedral crystals, each to a few millimetres, set against white Quartz and mauve-red Native Copper, some of which form crude crystals and in places appears to coat some of the Cuprite crystals.  A great Cuprite and Native Copper from St. Day.