Chrysocolla ps. after Malachite ps. after Azurite with Quartz

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A beautiful small miniature featuring an unusual double pseudomorph of intense sky-blue Chrysocolla replacing Malachite after Azurite and coated in Quartz, from a magnificent recent find in the Tenke-Fungurume area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Central Africa. The original tabular Azurite crystals, of which at least nine can quickly be recognised, measure up to 3.3 cm and form a splayed face-to-face array of tapering tabular Chrysocolla crystals entirely encrusted with sparkling micro-Quartz crystals. The Chrysocolla is a stunning sky-blue and throughout the base can be seen a remnant core of deep leaf-green Malachite. The Tenke-Fungurume area delineates a 30 km copper-cobalt mineralised zone between Tenke hill in the NW and Fungurume hill in the SE of the Kolwezi mining district. The region holds large ore reserves and to date a suite of 31 minerals have been recorded, including some exceedingly rare copper species. This excellent specimen is mounted on a square colourless acrylic base.