Dioptase on Calcite

Unknown Owner

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This is an exceptional small cabinet Dioptase on Calcite from Tsumeb with ISOLATED crystals to 1.5 cm! Well over a dozen gemmy, super lustrous, emerald green Dioptase crystals are nicely isolated on a background of contrasting pearly white Calcite from this classic locality. Each of those qualities alone is nice, but all together is hard to obtain now, considering these were found in the mid 1980s. The vibrant, and gemmy, emerald green Dioptase crystals range in size from 3 mm to 1.5 cm with all of them being transparent and just glow with bright emerald green internal reflections. This piece displays beautifully and all of the Dioptase crystals are in excellent condition with only minor contacting at the periphery which only affects a slight portion of two crystals and doesn't detract at all. This combination of green on white is the hallmark of Tsumeb Dioptase from the peak of the finds in 1984-1985. It is a style, with the isolated crystals and sharp definition, that every collector dreams of but they only come up in old collections now.