Home > American Localities – September 25 > MS0779 Cuprite

Cuprite - Sold


Cuprite is copper oxide, one of the most common copper bearing minerals. Although known for centuries, Haidinger (1845) seems to have given the mineral its current name. The cubic symmetry of cuprite is well known; certain specimens seem to defy cubic symmetry by forming hairlike or capillary crystals (Veblen and Post, 1983). This is an example of the hair like variety of cuprite from a large copper porphyry system in Nevada not well known for mineral specimens. This specimen was part of the personal collection of Ralph Merrill, proprietor of the prolific mail order business Minerals Unlimited. Ralph obtained the specimen from George Burnham (Burminco) in 1947.