Cuprite with Copper

specimen number:
8911170

location:
Rubtsovsk Mine, Rubtsovsky, Altai Krai, Russia

description:
Deep red sharp lustrous octahedral crystals of cuprite to 1.0 cm in size forming a cluster with little attached matrix. Minor native copper present. From the front side this is in great condition. On the sides and on the back there is slight damage present as seen in the video. These are out of view when the piece is displayed properly. The specimen comes with a previous label from the Alton collection.

The Rubtsovsk Mine, located in the Altai Krai region of southwestern Siberia, Russia, is part of the metal-rich Rudny Altai polymetallic belt. Geologically, the deposit sits within complex Paleozoic volcanic and sedimentary sequences where hydrothermal activity and extensive supergene oxidation created rich zones of secondary mineralization. Mineralogically, it is particularly famous for its exceptional, razor-sharp octahedral crystals of cuprite, often accompanied by native silver, native copper, and rare halide species like miersite.

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