Azurite with Malachite

Azurite with Malachite from Oumjrana Mine, Alnif, Meknes–Tafilalet Region, Morocco, measuring 63 × 48 × 28 mm and weighing 100 grams. The specimen shows deep blue Azurite with green mineral areas and a varied matrix surface. The colour contrast is immediately engaging, while the recorded association gives that contrast a mineralogical basis.

Azurite and Malachite are both copper carbonate hydroxides, but they are distinct species with different compositions and structures. Their relationship is a useful introduction to the range of secondary minerals that can develop as copper-bearing material alters. A specimen containing both offers an opportunity to compare related minerals within the same overall piece, while appreciating their separate identities.

Oumjrana Mine provides a specific source within the Alnif area. The locality is part of what distinguishes this specimen from the many other Moroccan copper-mineral occurrences represented in collections. Its 63 mm longest dimension gives a convenient scale for exploring the blue and green areas across the face and for displaying the association as a whole. The provenance records the David Vince Collection and Pristine Minerals. Those connections preserve the piece's collecting history alongside its Moroccan mine attribution. The specimen has a clear, enjoyable theme: related copper minerals with contrasting colours, presented at a manageable cabinet size and accompanied by the locality and provenance details that make an individual example worth knowing.