NATIVE COPPER SPECIMENS

Native copper is the uncombined form of copper and the natural state of the mineral. It often presents as the typical orange-brown color synonymous with copper, either free of matrix or embedded in calcite. Copper is one of only a few metallic elements to occur in native form: it most commonly occurs in an oxidized state or mixed within other minerals. The native state of copper typically presents as a disorganized version of a crystal or mass. That isn’t to say that copper can’t form crystals, it just very rarely does. Copper crystals, though rare, can either be cubic or a modified dodecahedron. Copper has also been found in compressed plates and dendritic branches.

Native copper is relatively rare: most of the world’s copper supply is extracted from other minerals. Native copper has been an important ore of copper throughout history and has a variety of uses both industrially and economically. While copper has significant value in industry, native specimens are also excellent display pieces.