• Option A, a long narrow rough piece of light-colored granite with black speckles and some chunky feldspar crystals visible. The top has a light blue mineral coating, with vivid blue chrysocolla on the near end.
  • A pile of rough rocks with turquoise-blue color running through them. The rocks are a mix of colors, some dark brown and some near-white and speckled with black spots and large light-colored feldspar crystals.
  • The material can contain low-quality minerals, with detail pictures of patchy robins-egg blue chrysocolla, tiny green and blue botryoidal chrysocolla, tiny green spheres of conichalcite, deep green malachite, royal blue azurite, and gold chalcopyrite with peacock colors.
  • Diagram showing the rock is okay to use in water, but not in aquariums. On the left it shows a wet rock in a zen fountain, labeled as okay and "wow," "much pretty." On the right it shows the rock in an aquarium, labeled "nope," "oh no" and "much toxic." At the bottom is an asterisk reading "artist's rendition" because the example rock is crudely photoshopped into the examples.
  • Option B, a flattish but wide roughly rectangular piece of rough, the surface dark red-brown with iron oxides. Brilliant blue contrasts with this, with some patches of small green crystals with orange rusty staining around them.
  • Option C, a compact roughly square piece of light-colored granite with dark speckles and some chunky feldspar crystals visible. The whole top is coated in bright robins-egg blue mineral, with some royal blue and blue-green tint in areas.
  • Option D, a flattish roughly rectangular piece of lighter colored granite with dark speckles. The top half has patchy vivid robins-egg blue mineral coating it, and the bottom half has a much more subtle light green-blue tint.
  • Option E, a compact blocky piece that is dark red-brown with iron oxides coating the surface. Vivid robins-egg and turquoise blue streaks run across the face in striking contrast.
  • Option F, a compact light-colored piece of granite, with dark speckles and large blocky light-peach colored feldspar crystals. The right-hand face is covered with splotchy light blue mineral.
  • Options A through F on a measuring mat. Options A, B, and D are more elongated shapes, A and D are narrow, about two inches wide and four to five inches long. Option B is more flat and rectangular, about five by three inches. Options C, E and F are more compact like a balled fist, and at least two and a half inches square.
1 10

Kino Blue decorative rock (small 1/2–1 lb piece)

Kino Blue decorative rock (small 1/2–1 lb piece)

$7.50 USD
$7.50 USD
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Pick your own

Locale: North of Tucson, Arizona

Approx weight: 1/2–1 lbs

Approx size: 2.5–5"

 

Kino Blue rock is a beautiful option for natural outdoor decor, adding a southwest color palette around the home or in succulent gardens. It is a colorful granite mined north of Tucson, Arizona, at the site of a former copper mine. The rock's base is a black-and-white pepper-speckled granite with sparkling biotite flecks, and spotted with large light peach-colored feldspar crystals. The material gets its name from the distinctive vibrant blue patches running through it, caused by copper. Brick red and rusty brown tones of iron oxides on the surface can obscure the pattern but provide a striking contrast.

Some of the blue color is caused by weathering of the copper content in the rock, which develops a light green-blue patina with exposure to water and air. This means the surface color can actually improve over time as the material continues to weather, making it an excellent decorative rock for outdoor use. Granite does naturally decompose though, so it is normal for small pieces to crumble off the edges.

Additional copper-based minerals add deeper shades of blue and green to the rock. Chrysocolla is the most common, with a bright turquoise or robin's egg blue color. I have also observed what I suspect to be malachite (deep green), azurite (royal blue), dioptase (emerald green), conichalcite (yellow-green), and chalcopyrite (fool's gold, but can have peacock colors) in the mix. These minerals are amorphous and low-quality, though you may see some details where there are fibrous needles of radial growth or partial spheres.

Option B is priced slightly higher because it is a more mineralogically interesting piece; it is the specimen that has the botryoidal conichalcite detailed in the second image.

⚠️ Kino Blue is especially beautiful in water features since the color and pattern are emphasized when wet, but it is NOT a good decorative rock in aquariums or fish ponds; the high copper content means trace amounts can leach into the water, affecting the health of fish (or other critters). Similarly, Kino is an excellent choice for naturalistic cactus and succulent plantings but could throw off the nutrient balance if you are watering over it, or if it sits in damper soils.

View full details