Significant New Find of The Year
We are very excited to announce a new find unlike anything we’ve seen before – Azurite, Malachite and Goethite on Quartz from China! I’ve been busy for quite a while because of this unprecedented, most significant new find of the year. It’s so difficult to secure good specimens from the source because it’s very competitive, a lot of mineral agents and sub-agents had been on the waitlist for the same pocket, it’s amazing! I had to be in the field to personally observe the excavation process or these beautiful pieces would fall into someone’s hands.
The Multicolored Crystals
This new discovery (May-June 2021) of around a hundred of specimens of Azurite on Quartz crystals, in most cases associated with Malachite and Goethite, and occasionally with Chrysocolla and Fluorite crystals, have not been found in China before: the mine in Dongchuan Cu ore field, Dongchuan District, Kunming, Yunnan, China. The new specimens show very vividly blue, microcrystals of Azurite encrusting the surface of Quartz cluster. And in some cases, Azurite, Malachite and Goethite pseudomorph after Quartz crystals. I purchased the specimens at a miner’s home on-site, witnessing him cracked open a massive lump of black-brown mud and finding beautiful Azurite pieces within, it’s amazing!
Geological Review of Dongchuan District
Dongchuan is a mineral rich district located in the northeast of Yunnan Province in China. It has some of the biggest copper deposits in the country showing 4.13 million tons of copper in reserves as of 2020. The Dongchuan continental crust was formed in the Mesoproterozoic Era occurred from 1,600 to 1,000 million years ago, the first period of earth’s history of which a definitive geological record survives. The district is considered high mountain regions in China with the two highest mountains sitting 14,252 ft (4,344 m) and 13,180 ft (4,017 m) above sea level and much of this area has been glaciated. These are some of the breathtaking photos of the Dongchuan district taken by my friend.
Jiaozi Snow Mountain
How rocks are transported from the mountains
Dongchuan Red Land
These incredible combo specimens are so eye-catching and the colors are so saturated. I of course love those Azurite and Malachite on Quartz pieces from Bei Meicissi in Morocco but the Chinese specimens definitely upped the game in terms of the variety, colors and overall aesthetics. Unfortunately a lot of the specimens were heavily damaged because of the harsh mining conditions, cabinet sized undamaged pieces are really difficult to find. They are the most beautiful and unusual of their kind, well Quartz crystals heavily covered by Azurite with Malachite and Goethite, it doesn’t take long to realize why these fine mineral specimens are highly sought-after on the Chinese minerals market now.
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