Sky Blue Carbonate Cyanotrichite on Limestone Matrix Specimen

Dimension: 4.7cm x 3.5cm x 1.5cm
Weight: 14g
Locality: Qinglong Mine, Dachang Sb ore field, Qianxi'nan A.P., Guizhou Province, China
 
This miniature specimen has shimmering and French Sky Blue tufts of Carbonate-Cyanotrichite beautifully growth on the limestone matrix. 
 
The Cyanotrichite group of minerals has a beauty all its own, with a range of intense blues that are eye-catching and alluring.  Carbonate Cyanotrichite is a rare and beautiful member of that group.  The name actually comes from the Greek for "blue" and "hair", for obvious reasons, as the blue crystals have this acicular (hair-like) form. 
 
Carbonate Cyanotrichite is a secondary copper mineral found sparsely in the oxidation zones of copper-bearing ore bodies.  This is a very beautiful specimen from recent finds in China, and is very highly representative and rich for the species and locality.