Azurite

Intergrown bladed crystals of deep azure blue Azurite to 7 mm form a roughly 4.5 x 2 cm cluster on top of a mixture of banded dull butterscotch yellow and light caramel brown hard clay, mostly covered by a thin white clay. This well crystallised miniature is from Chessy-les-Mines at Le Bois d'Oingt in the Rhône-Alpes Region of France. Copper mining at Chessy-les-Mines goes back to the Middle Ages where a stockwork was exploited. This blue carbonate mineral was initially named Chessylite, but later named Azurite, derived from the Persian name for areas of blue mineralisation. The matrix is rather fascinating because the banded clays form complex structures analogous to those seen in agate. A very old collection number is glued to the matrix. A fine miniature Azurite on a highly unusual matrix from the Chessy copper mines.