Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Parrot Wing

Also known as Chrysocolla.  This is another mineral that is often found near copper mines and contains some copper itself.  Sometimes blue chrysocolla is confused w/ turquoise but chrysocolla is much softer (hardness 2.5 to 3.5).  Pure chrysocolla tends to be crumbly but it often is found in association w/ malachite, azurite, and quartz which gives it enough hardness to be worked.  I've made jewelry out of parrot wing. Takes a light touch when grinding but surprisingly polishes up nicely.

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