Topaz

specimen number:
2133206

location:
Karengerenge, North-Western, Zamibia

description:
Beautiful loose gem terminated Imperial topaz crystal. In excellent condition. Choice thumbnail.

The Karengerenge locality, situated in the Solwezi District of the North-Western Province, Zambia, is a unique source of rare "imperial" or orange-to-pinkish topaz. Geologically, these crystals are found within a series of metasedimentary rocks belonging to the Katanga Supergroup, specifically hosted in quartz-carbonate veins and associated alteration zones. Unlike the famous pegmatitic topaz of Brazil, the Zambian material is believed to have formed through hydrothermal or metamorphic processes that enriched the host rock with fluorine and chromium, the latter being responsible for the desirable warm hues. Historically, the site was discovered in the late 1980s or early 1990s, with small-scale artisanal mining becoming more prominent during the mid-1990s. While it has never reached the industrial scale of Zambia's emerald mines, Karengerenge has produced a steady supply of high-quality faceted stones and mineral specimens for the international market. The mining activity remains largely intermittent and artisanal, fluctuating based on local conditions and the discovery of new mineralized pockets.

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