Azurite
Azurite is a copper that is secondary that is frequently found combined with Malachite in massive form. Azurite crystals are available for faceting but they’re tiny and really dark, almost opaque. Faceted gems could be a rarity that is fantastic being really tiny and dark. Azurite is more commonly available as cabochons, beads, boxes and carvings. Azurite is popular because of its intense color that is blue. When Azurite is mixed with Malachite it really is called Azur-malachite and when it’s mixed with Cuprite it’s called Burnite. These color combinations are beautiful both as mineral specimens and cabochons.
Azurite is situated in many localities global such as Chessy, France; Morenci and Bisbee, Arizona, USA; Kelly, New Mexico, USA; Queensland, Australia; Italy; Greece, Russia, Tsumeb, Namibia; and Zacatecas, Mexico.
| Category | Carbonate mineral |
| Chemical Formula: | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| Copper Carbonate Hydroxide | |
| Molecular Weight: | 344.67 gm |
| Composition: | Copper | 55.31 % | Cu | 69.24 % | CuO |
| Hydrogen | 0.58 % | H | 5.23 % | H2O | |
| Carbon | 6.97 % | C | 25.54 % | CO2 | |
| Oxygen | 37.14 % | O | |||
| 100.00 % | 100.00 % | = TOTAL OXIDE |
| Crystallography: | Monoclinic – Prismatic |
| Crystal Habit: | Crystals are typically complex, with over 100 forms recorded, to 30 cm. Tabular on {001}, less commonly so on {102} or {102}; short to long prismatic along [001], with prominent {110} and {100}, or along [010], with wedgelike terminations. As rhomboidal, lenticular, or spherical subparallel aggregates, which may form rosettes; also as internally radial stalactitic or columnar aggregates; botryoidal, drusy, earthy, massive. |
| Twinning: | Rare; twin planes {101}, {102}, {001} |
| Cleavage: | Perfect (but interrupted) on {011}, Fair on {100}, Poor on {110} |
| Fracture: | Conchoidal |
| Tenacity: | Brittle |
| Moh’s Hardness: | 3.5 – 4.0 |
| Density: | 3.77 – 3.89 (g/cm3) |
| Luminescence: | None |
| Radioactivity: | Not Radioactive |
| Other: | Soluble in dilute acids, ammonia, and hot concentrated solutions of NaHCO3. Slowly decomposed with removal of CO2 by boiling, but not by cold water. |
| Color: | Azure-Blue, Berlin Blue, very dark to pale Blue; pale Blue in transmitted light. |
| Transparency: | Transparent to Subtranslucent to Opaque |
| Luster: | Vitreous to Subadamantine |
| Refractive Index: | 1.730 – 1.838 Biaxial ( + ) |
| Birefringence: | 0.1080 |
| Dispersion: | Strong; r > v |
| Pleochroism: | Visible; pleochroic in blue, with absorption Z greater than Y greater than X. |
