Azurite

specimen number:
1471010

location:
Tsumeb mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:

A fine miniature specimen from this classic locality. A razor-sharp lustrous deep blue crystal of azurite set with a small amount of brecciated matrix. Very slight micro-chipping present as shown up close in the video, this mainly confined to the backside of the piece. This one is very aesthetic.

The Tsumeb Mine, located in the Otavi Mountains of northern Namibia, is a world-renowned polymetallic ore deposit hosted within Precambrian carbonate rocks. Geologically, the deposit formed within a steeply dipping, pipe-like structure created by intense tectonic activity, karstification, and hydrothermal fluid circulation. It is celebrated globally for its extraordinary mineralogy, featuring hundreds of distinct mineral species—including dozens found nowhere else on Earth—owing to deep oxidation zones that produced exceptional secondary crystal specimens. Indigenous peoples initially utilized surface outcrops for copper, but large-scale industrial mining began in 1897 under German colonial rule, turning the site into a massive producer of copper, lead, zinc, and germanium until its final closure in 1996.

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