AZURITE & BAYLDONITE

Classic example of Tsumeb mineralogy! Sharp blue azurite crystals, partially pseudomorphing to malachite, grown together with an abundant group of the rare lead-copper arsenate bayldonite. The contrast of the deep blue with the multiple shades of green gives it what I can only describe as an alluring appearance. When one finds Tsumeb specimens of bayldonite, it's usually with patchy coverage and much duller color. Here we have rich and attractive minty green color, and the coverage is continuous throughout the whole specimen. There are a couple of other species present, though we haven't had it analyzed.     More info: The mineralization sequence at Tsumeb Mine exhibits a complex paragenesis involving azurite and bayldonite within oxidized portions of the polymetallic deposit. Primary copper sulfides undergo oxidation through interaction with meteoric waters, producing azurite through reaction with carbonate-rich solutions. Bayldonite forms subsequently through interaction of copper-