Descloizite - image 1
Descloizite - image 2
specimen video

Descloizite

Unknown Owner
Help improve this recordNo owner is registered for this specimen yet. If it's yours or you know more about it, you can add the owner, provenance, publications and other details.
Sign in to contribute
Lustrous crystals of descloizite across both sides of this matrix. Some damage present, overall in good condition. Previous label comes from the collection of Wolfgang Henkel.The Berg Aukas Mine is located in the Otavi Mountainland of northern Namibia, situated near the town of Grootfontein. Geologically, the deposit is a world-class Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) lead-zinc-vanadium system hosted within the Neoproterozoic carbonates of the Otavi Group. The ore bodies formed as metal-rich hydrothermal fluids migrated through complex fault zones and karst-like breccias in the surrounding dolomite. Historically, the mine was a major producer of vanadium and zinc from its discovery in the early 20th century until its closure in 1978. Berg Aukas is internationally famous among mineralogists for producing the finest descloizite specimens ever discovered. This lead-zinc vanadate mineral typically occurs as sharp, spear-shaped or tabular crystals with a distinct metallic to sub-metallic luster. The color ranges from a deep, saturated brownish-black to a rich forest green, often appearing almost black until backlit. These crystals frequently form aesthetic, radiating clusters or thick druse layers on a contrasting light-colored matrix. While the mine is no longer in industrial operation, the specimens recovered during its peak years remain the global benchmark for the species due to their exceptional size, sharpness, and crystal perfection.

Product details

SpeciesDescloizite
SizeCabinet
Dimensions11.0 x 7.5 x 4.0 cm
Added on04/24/2026
LocalityNamibia, Otjozondjupa Region, Berg Aukas Mine

Known provenance

DateCollectorAcquisition price
04/2026Unknown Owner$265.00
—Weinrich MineralsNot disclosed

Learn more

Descloizite
Mineral guide
Learn about Descloizite
lead-zinc vanadate with lustrous rosettes, black-to-brown tones, and warm translucence; top localities Otavi, Namibia and Ojuela, Mexico.
Descloizite
Regional guide
Descloizite from Berg Aukas Mine, Namibia
Berg Aukas descloizite is one of the great “species-defining” classics: the locality by which serious collectors judge descloizite. The best pieces have a sculptural, almost architectural presence—dark brown to nearly black spear-point crystals, glossy blades, jackstraw bundles, radiating rosettes, and sharply terminated clusters that can look metallic under a show lamp yet glow warm reddish brown along thinner edges. Many specimens sit in pleasing contrast on pale calcite, dolomite, smithsonite, or willemite-bearing matrix, giving the dark vanadate crystals the visual authority of black lacquer against limestone.