Native Copper, Ray Mine, Arizona

I have seen many native copper specimens and while I am a fan, most lack personality. This piece from Rob Belcher is really fascinating however. First it is a good-sized cabinet specimen with good dimensionality and not flat like many examples. My favourite feature, though, are the fragments of wall rock caught within the dendritic copper crystals. I would guess the copper grew within a brecciated zone within the ore body created this unique look. Some later weathering of the copper created the green malachite that adds just the right amount of colour-contrast. Ex Rob Belcher collection. From: Ray Mine, Pinal County, Arizona. Dimensions: 12 cm x 10 cm