Azurite and Malachite from Tongshan Copper-Iron Mine, Guichi, Anhui Province, China

This specimen consists of inky blue, bright, sparkling Azurite xls which are densely packed on the display faces. In addition, there is what I would call a "ribbon" of dark green, botryoidal malachite xls as well as as a number of spherical or botryoidal xls to 5mm. Perhaps a small bruise or two, but otherwise intact and very showy. It has a sawn back.

The copper deposits in this area of Anhui province have been mined for thousands of years, probably the longest continuous operation on earth. Small scale mining lets specimens escape the huge crushers that are used elsewhere.