Descloizite from Berg Aukas Mine, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia - image 1
Descloizite from Berg Aukas Mine, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia - image 2

Descloizite from Berg Aukas Mine, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia

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Loose lustrous crystal grouping of descloizite. In good condition. Classic locality for the species.Berg Aukas, located near Grootfontein in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia, is a historic base metal mining district with operations that officially began in the early 20th century, around 1913, and continued through various phases until its eventual closure in the late 20th century. Geologically, the deposit is hosted within complex Neoproterozoic carbonate sequences of the Otavi Group, where extensive hydrothermal activity and supergene oxidation formed rich orebodies containing lead, zinc, and vanadium mineralization. Historically, the mine gained worldwide renown among mineralogists and collectors for producing some of the finest and most diverse secondary mineral specimens ever discovered, most notably world-class crystals of descloizite, vanadinite, and smithsonite.

Product details

SpeciesDescloizite
SizeThumbnail
Dimensions1.5 x 1.5 x 0.5 cm
Added on09/07/2026
LocalityNamibia, Otjozondjupa Region, Berg Aukas Mine
Current owner
Unknown Owner
Acquired
Sep 2026
Price paid
$35.00
Previous owners
DateCollectorAcquisition price
—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.
Locality guide
Berg Aukas Mine
Berg Aukas Mine, Namibia - a premier Otavi Mountainland locality famed for dark descloizite crystals, vanadates, and rich smithsonite, prized by collectors.