Glauberite (artificial color)

specimen number:
2292266

location:
Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

description:

A loose floater cluster of what were once glauberite crystals, these possibly having been replaced by calcite or gypsum. Someone has dipped this into a solution rich in copper sulfate to make the color. Sharp and in good condition.

The green glauberite specimens from Camp Verde, Yavapai County, Arizona, are classic mineralogical fakes created by artificially altering natural pseudomorphs. Geologically, the localized evaporite deposits at Camp Verde produce sharp, beige-to-cream colored calcite or gypsum pseudomorphs after the original, unstable sodium calcium sulfate glauberite crystals. Because these porous, white-to-tan clusters are abundant and easily collected, some dealers soak them in a copper sulfate solution. The porous calcite absorbs the chemical fluid, staining the specimen a vibrant, unnatural emerald green or turquoise to simulate a highly desirable malachite replacement. Reputable mineralogists and collectors widely recognize these altered pieces as a deliberate fraud, noting that natural Camp Verde pseudomorphs do not possess this bright green coloration.

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