Native Copper

This specimen of native copper formed deep underground as mineral-rich fluids moved through fractures in ancient volcanic rock, slowly depositing pure metal over immense spans of time. The Copper Flat Mine, worked intermittently since the late 1800s, became known for its copper deposits hidden beneath the desert hills of southwestern New Mexico.

Both a product of powerful geologic forces and a relic of the region’s mining past, this piece represents copper in its natural state — shaped by the Earth long before it was ever touched by human hands.