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Description
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Ajoite in quartz cab ~
Offered here is a shield shaped cab of ajoite in quartz, and it comes with a little story: A while back I wrote to the dealer in Quartzite that sold me the rough rock this stone was cut from, asking if I could purchase more. He replied by return mail to explain that he had since found out that the material is ajoite in quartz, from the New Cornelia mine in Ajo, Arizona. He did not say when it was found, but he did mention the cost had more than tripled! He also told me there may indeed be some chrysocolla and malachite present, which is what I thought it was, but most of the terrific blue threads in the stone are actually ajoite. From what I've been able to dig up online, ajoite is a very rare, very valuable, and highly collectible material! Especially coming from that particular mine, just south of the town of Ajo, from which the mineral name is derived. Apparently, commerical mining there has been shut down since 1985.
The colors in this cab are vivid and saturated, with the ajoite being a bright cerulean blue, and the dark streaks are actually shiny metallic threads, which you can discern best in the highlights. There's also soft green malachite in the bottom half of the stone, and the quartz has a nice translucence. It has a very high rounded dome, and a nice glossy polish both front and back.
Size: 31x21mm
Weight: approximately 35 carats
Price: SOLD See current gemstones for sale
 Ajoite in quartz
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