SONORAN SUNRISE (Cuprite and Chrysocolla) Rough

Cuprite and Chrysocolla (Sonoran Sunrise) rough is a rare material sometimes referred to as Christmas Stone because of the green and red coloring. Although Sonoran Sunrise is often referred to as chrysocolla, the greenish area is actually bronchantite. The red-orange area is the chalcotrichite form of cuprite. The black area is usually the copper oxide tenorite and on occasion, there is a purplish-gray area that is cuprite. These copper secondaries impregnated a host rock of limestone, which makes Sonoran Sunrise a great lapidary material that is easy to cut and polish.