SD17 Cuprite
Rubtsovskoe Cu-Zn-Pb deposit, Rudnyi Altai, Altaiskii Krai, Western-Siberian Region, Russia
5.3x 4.4x 3.0 cm
$435

These cuprites have been around for the last three years,  more or less, but the prices have been very, very high.  

 

While the price has temporarily dipped low enough for me to be able to offer them (relatively) cheaply, it is worth noting that mining operations have passed through the zone where these cuprites occur, and they are no longer being found.  The market was temporarily flooded, but as I have learned from repeated experience with the various Chinese mineral floods, these pieces WILL disappear from the market.  

 

For the species, this find should certainly be considered world class, at least as far as crystal size is concerned.  There are only a few localities that produced comparably sized pieces (albeit with better color), in all cases long ago.  In all of those cases, the prices also seldom now dip below a few thousand dollars.

 

This is a decently sized cluster from the find-- I felt that this was probably the low point as far as where the prices would reach, so I picked up a few.








Similar Minerals

SD16 Cuprite
Rubtsovskoe Cu-Zn-Pb deposit, Rudnyi Altai, Altaiskii Krai, Western-Siberian Region, Russia
5.0x 4.2x 3.2 cm
$300
SD18 Cuprite
Rubtsovskoe Cu-Zn-Pb deposit, Rudnyi Altai, Altaiskii Krai, Western-Siberian Region, Russia
3.8x 3.2x 2.7 cm
$400
SD19 Cuprite
Rubtsovskoe Cu-Zn-Pb deposit, Rudnyi Altai, Altaiskii Krai, Western-Siberian Region, Russia
4.4x 3.8x 3.0 cm
$345
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