Bornite

A fine miniature specimen of bornite showing rich metallic lustre and the deep purple-blue tones characteristic of this copper sulphide mineral. The surface displays a bright reflective sheen with subtle iridescent tarnish in places.

This piece comes from the Nchanga Mine in Chingola, located in the prolific Copperbelt Province of Zambia, one of the world’s great copper-producing regions. The deposit is famous for its vast copper reserves and for producing attractive collectable specimens of copper minerals. Bornite, often called “peacock ore” when tarnished, is an important copper ore mineral and specimens from the Copperbelt are well known among collectors for their strong metallic character and association with the region’s historic copper mining operations. Comes from the collection of Peter Tarassoff.