Chrysocolla
About Chrysocolla
Chrysocolla is one of the Peruvian flagship minerals for jewelry and decor products. It is a minor ore of copper that forms in the superficial oxidation zones of copper ore bodies and is mined in the Peruvian desert and on the western slopes of the Andes where artisan miners search for the greenish coloration in the desert sand indicating the presence of chrysocolla. By then digging into the depth and following the chrysocolla veins miners might then eventually find copper bodies. There is, however, a number of miners who specialize in chrysocolla mining itself.
Chrysocolla itself has a cyan (blue-green) color. The interesting fact however is, that chrysocolla veins are in fact never pure chrysocolla but rather consist of a mixture of this mineral with a number of others. We find it mixed mostly with:
- Cuprite – an oxide mineral composed of copper oxide Cu2O, and is a minor ore of copper. It is dark red to cochineal red, sometimes almost black.
- Malachite – a green copper carbonate hydroxide mineral.
- Tenorite – dull grey-black.
- Quartz – The white milk quartz or milky quartz is the most common variety of crystalline quartz.
- Limonite – yellow
- Azurite – a soft, deep-blue copper mineral
Even if a material is called “Chrysocolla”, most likely the real Chrysocolla mineral itself only makes up for a small percentage within the mix of minerals.
Generally spoken: The higher the concentration of real Chrysocolla in the mixed vein (means the more uniform cyan its color) the more costly is the rough rock. Pure cyan-coloured chrysocolla pieces are generally used for jewelry only because they are small and very expensive.
Also, the more chrysocolla is in the mix, the harder it is to cut as the chrysocolla itself is very soft and easily breaks and chips.
Important Notice:
Currently, Peru is in a Chrysocolla crisis. The copper price has risen so sharply that miners no longer extract chrysocolla. They rather prefer to grind the chrysocolla and sell it for copper extraction. This results in Chrysocolla having become very hard and expensive to source. Our reserves of rough rock in stock are nearly depleted and we currently restrict our production to jewelry.
Types of Chrysocolla:
Chrysocolla crystals
Chrysocolla forms botryoidal crystals. We are providing Chrysocolla crystals in specimen flats and as crystal surfaces for gem cutters.
A famous variety are the Quartz Crystals from Tentadora Mine, which are overgrown with Malachite and Chrysocolla crystals.
Classic Chrysocolla
This is the classic mix of chrysocolla, malachite, tenorite, and a little cuprite, that was mined for many years in the Peruvian desert near Nazca city. It is well known and many clients wish to acquire it. However, sadly there are not many mines anymore producing this material as most of them have reached the copper layer. The small amounts of this chrysocolla type, that are available, have become so expensive that the material can not be used for spheres or other products anymore and still deliver a commercially viable product.
We are still stocking some 50 kilos for our own jewelry production and are able to sell high-quality rough and slabs to gem cutters. We also can still produce cabochons and worry stones from this stock.
Chrysocolla type: Water & Wine®
This amazing mix with a very blue chrysocolla and a wine-red matrix.
We are currently only offering small objects like worry stones, cabochons, or our own jewelry made from this chrysocolla type.
Chrysocolla type: Turquoise
Due to the mixture with lime, this chrysocolla type looks very similar to turquoise. However, the high content of lime makes this type of chrysocolla nearly impossible to polish.
We at Gemrock Peru only work with high-quality materials. From a total of 8 tons of this material, we hand selected 100 kilos of consistent and polishable material and rejected the rest.
From this amount, we have only a few kilos left and therefore offer this material only for cabochons or jewelry.
Chrysocolla type: Mother Earth®
This is a type of boulder chrysocolla consisting of fine and pure chrysocolla veins in brown rock material featuring a birds-view over a brown-green landscape with blue lakes and rivers. An amazing material for cabs and jewelry.
We are left with just a few kilos of this material in our stock and therefore currently offer this material only for cabochons or in jewelry.
Peruvian Cuantum Cuattro
This is quartz mixed with chrysocolla and malachite. This vein was recently discovered in 2018 and still has a reasonable reserve to be exploited and replace classic Chrysocolla. There are big enough pieces available for any type of product.
However rough rock clients may be advised that this material is very difficult to cut, has a relatively high rate of breakage, and requires some stabilization.
We at Gemrock Peru have learned to master this material and are happy to offer you finished products. In order to learn more, click here:
Why Gemrock Chrysocolla Crystal Products are truly ethical:
Founded in 2017 by biologist and professional nature conservationist Stefan Austermühle, Gemrock was born to be more than just a crystal wholesale business. As a result, Nature conservation and ethical workers’ treatment throughout the entire production chain are at the core of our business. We are changing the crystal industry for the better one crystal at a time.
- We do not source our raw materials from conflict areas, from mines that employ children, from drug production areas, or mining that finances genocide and civil war.
- All our gemstones, silver, and gold come from legal sources. We do not support illegal mining or shadow business.
- Our entire production (crystal carving, silver and goldsmithing, as well as jewelry production is in-house. We control 100% of the production chain.
- Gemrock employees are paid fair salaries higher than the industry average. They are hired under legal labor contracts with all legally required labor benefits. Excellent work is motivated with bonuses and our employees get a share of the company’s annual profits.
- Hiring is independent of any non-work related factors (gender, skin color, nationality, or else). Only knowledge and labor quality do matter.
- We offer our employees safe labor conditions.
- Saving water and energy, and re-using and recycling materials to the maximum is an ongoing effort.
- We constantly measure our carbon footprint and neutralize our climate impact by financing a tree-planting project.
The maximum possible transparency is Gemrocks’ most important communication rule. You can find ample information about our ethical business in our blog (on this website) and on all of our social networks. For more details on our ethical standards, read here:
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leaving soon…
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Cutting services
Do you need reliable high-quality cutting services for a reasonable price? Are you looking for a service provider that is willing to develop new products according to your requirements? Would you like to get expert advice in order to improve your product? Do you wish for someone to optimize the process and get the most out of your rough? Just talk to us.
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