自然銅

Native copper — the metal, uncut

Native copper is elemental copper as nature deposits it: branching arborescent growths, wiry dendrites, and clusters of distorted cubic crystals, all with the unmistakable salmon-pink metallic color where freshly exposed. It was one of the first metals humans ever worked, precisely because it occurs ready-made.

Our material

Our specimens come from the copper systems of Jiangxi Province, China — arborescent growths and crystal clusters, including pieces from the Yichun mining area. Historically the species is most associated with Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, whose glacier-scattered "float copper" built a 19th-century mining boom.

Display notes

Copper tarnishes: expect surfaces to deepen toward brown-red over time, and keep pieces dry — humidity accelerates green carbonate patina. Some collectors prize the patina; purists keep a sealed display case with desiccant.

From our inventory

See the Jiangxi locality page for our native copper and its companion sulfides.