Dioptase with Calcite

specimen number:
2063053

location:
Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto, Namibia

description:

Classic material for this area, attractive green lustrous crystals of dioptase averaging 0.5 cm in size are covering most of the top of a rhombohedral calcite crystal matrix. In good condition, some damage present but this mainly along the very edges of the crystal clusters themselves. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

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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