Balls of beautiful blue hemimorphite from the 79 Mine – this is great colour for the locality. With magnification, one can see additional generations of hemimorphite, including tiny individual sharp lustrous crystals. In very good condition, with three incomplete balls (at top and bottom) – these hemimorphites are extracted from a brecciated zone, so they often have incomplete balls where they were attached to adjoining rock. Stands perfectly for display – really nice!

About the 79 Mine

One of Arizona’s most classic specimen localities, the 79 Mine has a long and colourful history and has produced wonderful mineral specimens. First located in 1879, the deposit was sporadically operated primarily for lead, zinc and copper, well into the 20th century. However, the fine specimens for which the 79 Mine is famous have come out during the decades since mining production ended. The celebrated specimens of the 79 Mine were brought out by hard-working collectors who, in the post-mining era, worked the network of underground stopes and “rooms” and brought the specimens out safely, hand-carried, up ladder after ladder.