Know Your Rocks

Mohawkite or Domeykite

One of the unique minerals found in the Keweenaw Peninsula area is known as Mohawkite.

Allow me to explain my love-hate relationship with Mohawkite. Mohawkite is a local name for a mixture of Algodonite and Arsenian Copper found in the Mohawk and Ahmeek area Copper Mines. The two primary Copper Arsenides in the Copper Country are Algodonite (Cu6As) and Domeykite (Cu3As). Mohawkite is really Domeykite, a copper Arsenide. This material has been called many names in the past, and even today we hear solid pieces of Mohawkite called “Butchite”, another example of a local moniker. Between 1900 and 1901 105 metric tons of Mohawkite were taken from the Mohawk Mine. Enormous masses of Algodonite also came out of the Ahmeek Mines.

I dislike working with Mohawkite or any other Copper Arsenide. Really, who wants to work with Arsenic? I use lots of water, a facemask and try to limit the length of time I work on this material. After cutting Mohawkite I seal the material using a comprehensive procedure I’ve developed over the years. After my Mohawkite cabochons are sealed they becomes perfectly safe in normal use.

I love it because it is just gorgeous. When this arsenide mineral is intermixed with white Quartz, the effect is amazing. It makes beautiful jewelry, and has this ability to be, and look, like several other things. For example, it’s a real fooler when the golden Mohawkite couples with the white Quartz. You would swear it is Gold Ore from California. Customers love the jewelry I make from Mohawkite.

Sealing the stone does more than eliminate any potential toxicity. My sealing process also prevents the possibility of the stone tarnishing, and allows me to control the long-term appearance. I think of Mohawkite as a Chameleon of sorts. When I get a cabochon shaped, I never know how it will react to oxygen. Some may became iridescent within 5 minutes after being cut. To retain that golden color, I go back and re-grind off the rainbow, put the cabs in water, and rush them to my sealing area. I rapidly remove them from water, dry them, and seal them in time to inhibit them from changing colors. I also leave some cabs for a few minutes and seal them when they take on the rainbow effect.

Very few people make jewelry from Mohawkite, but I love it, and sell many pieces of it. After my sealing process, the stone is perfectly docile and safe to wear.

My Mohawkite jewelry is popular at Copper World in Calumet, Michigan; I also sell this material on line. People who have family history with these mines have a special interest in this mineral, and others value it because it is so unique, not found elsewhere in the world. Mohawkite is challenging to find anymore, but occasionally I stumble over a good piece while exploring the piles. Remember that these Mohawkite mines are all on private property and should not be hunted without permission.

We specialize in jewelry made from rocks and minerals of Michigan, and Mohawkite is one I love to hate. You, on the other hand, will love it!