Copper ("Spinel"-twins)

This robust miniature sized display specimen of Native Copper has a dual identity as it features a pair of dramatically different intergrown "Spinel"-twins. One side features a group of stout and thick "Spinel"-twins which are characterized by their gorgeous smooth crystal faces and hollow negative faces all around. The other side hosts a gentle, elongated, slender "Spinel"-twinned group with a more flattened style and graceful surface striations that play well against the octahedral faces. The piece is complete on all sides, no damage to be seen and it is most definitely what we call a "floater" at is crystallized all over with no point of attachment. I love this one for its uniqueness and the fact that one rarely encounters two different styles of twins on the same specimen like this. The Rocklands Mine (also known as the Rocklands Group Copper Project) is a large copper deposit in northwestern Queensland, Australia and wasn't known primarily for producing much in the way of specimens. We started to see some arborescent / dendritic specimens of Copper trickling out in 2017, but in 2019 there was a major discovery of significant and important CRYSTALLIZED Copper specimens! At the Tucson Show in 2020, we were fortunate to have a good friend who works at the mine and gave us first choice to hand select from a parcel that he brought especially for us. Specimen # CUAUS72005