Azurite

Azurite from Shuttleton, New South Wales, Australia, measuring 86 × 70 × 43 mm and weighing 301 grams. A substantial, weighty piece from one of New South Wales's smaller historic copper workings.

Azurite is a basic copper carbonate, Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2, monoclinic, distinctively deep blue, and it forms as a secondary mineral in the oxidised zone of a copper deposit, where weathering releases copper that recombines with carbonate from the surrounding rock. Shuttleton's copper mineralisation sits within the broader central-western New South Wales copper and base-metal province that also includes the better-known Cobar district, with Azurite developing in the oxidised cap above the primary sulfide ore in the same way it does at larger, more famous copper localities.

A piece of this size and weight from a small, lesser-known New South Wales locality like Shuttleton is a worthwhile addition for anyone collecting Australian Azurite beyond the handful of localities most commonly seen. This piece is from the David Vince Collection.