Dioptase with Chrysocolla

specimen number:
9506289

location:
Reneville, Pool, Republic of Congo

description:

Impressive large lustrous thick deep green crystals of dioptase measuring to 3.0 cm in length across the top of this matrix covered by blue botryoidal chrysocolla. Some contacting is present on the dioptase crystals, this is not damage and the piece is in super condition.

The mines around Reneville, located in the Pool Department of the Republic of the Congo within the Niari Basin, is historically renowned for its rich polymetallic mineral deposits. Geologically, the area consists of sedimentary rock formations where intensive supergene oxidation processes have yielded exceptional secondary copper mineralization, most notably world-class crystal specimens of dioptase and malachite. Historically, the deposits of this region were worked by local African communities for centuries before European contact, serving as a vital medium for regional trade. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, French colonial prospectors initiated formal industrial extraction, targeting the high-grade copper carbonates that characterize the district.

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