ROCK PROFILE: Native Copper in Plume Agate with Amethyst (“Tide Pool Plume Agate”)

Native copper is a term for Copper metal (Cu) that forms in nature as opposed to human refining of copper ore. Native copper is rarely associated with agate – tiny copper replacement agates from Michigan and Campbellite from the Bisbee Mine in Arizona are the only two examples that come to mind and specimens are hard to come by.

In late 2018, local miners discovered a deposit of copper minerals on the island of Obi in North Maluku Indonesia. Over the next few years, they extended the exploration via artisanal mining and around 2020 discovered some beautiful native copper in agate that was nicknamed “Ring of Fire Agate”.

Most recently (2026), there has been a discovery of a plume agate deposit on Obi Island that rivals even Ring of Fire. The plume has a base of smoky black which contrasts with the sparkling copper creating a starry-night effect. Above the dark plumes are ghostly tube agate formations sometimes with lovely blue accents. Other colors include bright blue chrysocolla at the base of the seam, and orange and yellow highlights in some areas. To top it all off (literally), the plume formations are capped in lustrous amethyst crystals! There are also examples from seams leading into the pocket where plumes formed on both sides of the seam meeting in the middle.

The combination of native copper crystals, colorful plumes and sparkling amethyst ranks Tide Pool plume agate among the rarest and most desirable examples of “agates with inclusions”.

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