Description
This copper is from the Poteryaevskoe Mine in the Rubtsovskoe Cu-Zn-Pb deposit, Rudnyi Altai, Altaisskii Krai, Western-Siberian Region, Russia. This deposit contains 60 different mineral species including the copper oxide cuprite and native copper. This piece is an excellent example of a cuprite crystal cluster that has been replaced or pseudomorphed by native copper crystals. The cluster is attached to a mostly copper matrix and there is some minor cuprite still present (red areas as seen in photos). The replacements retain the well defined dipyramidal cuprite crystal habits. This piece is a miniature that measures 1 1/2 x 1 3/16 x 13/16 inches or 38 x 31 x 20 mm.
