Cu- Copper (L. cuprum)
The Essential Metal
Easily recognizable, copper is an element with extraordinary qualities and an interesting appearance. Naturally found and without needing to be extracted, Copper was the earliest metal gathered and shaped into tools. Without copper mankind would have been stymied for years, and when it was alloyed with tin, became a game-changer in the Classical era with the advent of bronze.
Not only was it essential in the past for civilization, but it is even more important today. Being extremely ductile and energy-conductive, copper is the ideal metal for wiring and transporting electricity. It is also anti-microbial at an atomic level and is a natural metal needed by the body. All the characteristics of this handy metal derive from the form that the atoms, and how the atoms interact with each other.
Observations
One could write a book about the value of Copper as an element or non-renewable resource, but it also has note-worthy aesthetic appeal too!
Like fractal waves frozen on the surface of an asteroid, the metal clings to the stone without any adherence to gravitas. There is a lot of action in the way it takes form, with crevasses and tendrils that look fragile like aluminum foil.
It is weighty for its size, and the dense atoms of the metal seem immutably stable and firm. Cool to the touch, but rough as coral, the many faceted faces of the crumpled copper gleam with a radiant and warm red-orange color that doesn't match it's temperature.
So shiny today, only in time does the green verdigris patina coat the reflective surface. Imagine the first time such brilliance was seen, before no thing aside from gold and the sun, was so luminous. Is it just me who find solace in the chaos of such microcosms of metal form?