Malachite pseudo after Azurite with Quartz - image 1

Malachite pseudo after Azurite with Quartz - image 2

Malachite pseudo after Azurite with Quartz

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Tsumeb, perhaps the greatest of all mines, is known for, among other things, Malachite crystals pseudomorphed after Azurite - but rarely do we get such SHARP crystals where the faithful preservation of the Azurite shape is not marred by mottling, asymmetry, or etched-looking surfaces or patchy replacement. This sharp pseudomorph crystal is from a single special pocket rumored to have been found in the early 1900s, of which we have seen only a handful of specimens in many years of looking. The crystal is 2.7 cm in height and as such, is a commanding thumbnail or a small miniature ("toenail") in a case. The most invisibly thin layer of sparkling microscopic quartz overlays the malachite, that has itself replaced the azurite beneath. There are not other words to use except to say that it has a magical, shimmering luster all over it and is like no other pocket that you've seen in that the Malachite replacement consists of veils of rich green traversing through midnight blue-green under the sparkling layer atop, almost like an ethereal Milky Way! The overall aesthetics of this stark single crystal standing up without the usual clutter around such things, is excellent. This pseudomorph would date to the first oxidation zone, circa 1900 or the early 1900's. Competition-level thumbnail. No matter how many African or Tsumeb thumbnails you may have seen or owned...this is special.