Dioptase

specimen number:
9892034

location:
Altyn-Tyube, Bukhar-Zhyrau, Karaganda, Kazakhstan

description:
From the type locality for the species, lustrous emerald green crystals of dioptase to 1.0 cm in size on a calcite crystalline matrix. Damage present along the edges of the specimen, the prominent crystals are in good condition.

The Altyn-Tyube deposit in the Bukhar-Zhyrau district of the Karaganda region in Kazakhstan is a historic copper and mineral locality. Mining activity at the site dates back to the late 18th century, when local copper miners initially mistook its striking emerald-green vugs for emerald deposits. While intermittent small-scale copper extraction took place historically, the location is chiefly renowned among mineralogists as the type locality for high-quality dioptase. Geologically, the deposit consists of calcite veins and mineralized cavities cutting through carbonate and limestone host rocks, where supergene oxidation processes formed exceptional crystals of copper cyclosilicate within fractured zones. The historic small-scale workings are long inactive, though the site remains famous in mineral history.

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