Two unbelievably beautiful Datolite/Copper Pendants
Datolite in Michigan occurs only in the copper deposits in the Keweenaw Peninsula as well as on Isle Royale National Park. Datolite was never a valuable mineral when copper was king, and was left in the spoil piles at the mines. Today alert rockhounds are still actively seeking Datolite in the mine dumps.
Occasionally we find wonderful Datolite/Copper combinations. These unbelievably beautiful specimens make elegant and amazing pieces of jewelry. Copper World, our retail outlet in Calumet sells every one of these pendants they acquire from me. Sometimes these rare beauties reach my website. If you see these appear on this site, you should buy them immediately. These combination cabochons are quite scarce and warrant your attention. Small specks of copper are common within the Keweenaw Datolite and the colorations of Datolite is most often caused by copper, usually too small to see with the naked eye. This is where the wonderful pinks and reds of Datolite come from. The truly spectacular Datolite has large veins of copper in the Datolite and occurs most often in the veins seen in the leftover rock piles. This Datolite/Copper sets off our metal detectors and is a real thrill when found.
Each mine in the Keweenaw has a fairly distinctive color of Datolite associated with it. White is the most common and natural color for Datolite and has been found in all the mine spoil piles in the Keweenaw. The rare yellow datolite has no copper in it and derives its’ coloration from Manganese.
Datolite with a large amount of copper are difficult to cut and polish as we are dealing with different hardnesses as well as metal in combination with the datolite. The copper-included Datolite is also prone to overheating while being cut. When you buy one of these Datolite/Copper pendants you can be sure it was a challenge to cut and polish.
If you want something rare and beautiful from Michigan, you can’t go wrong with a Datolite of any kind, but especially these riveting Datolites with large copper inclusions.