Details
ColorsGrey
Origin
Near Mindouli, Mindouli District, Pool Department, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville)
SizeMedium
Dimensions9.8 x 5.1 x 2.6 cm
Description
Copper mineralisation occurs along a 3 km escarpment close to the village of Mindouli in the Pool Department of the Republic of Congo. A suit of over twenty mineral species is found here and although a small and relatively obscure occurrence, is the type locality for Plancheite. Dioptase is rare here yet forms good crystals of up to a little over 1 cm long on this magnificent example. Elongated, emerald green Dioptase crystals with a bright glassy lustre are aesthetically scattered over a flat bed of colourless Quartz crystals, each typically 3 to 5 mm broad and tinted light grey by the underlying hard Quartz matrix. With low magnification, e.g., a x5 loupe, many micro-spherules of powder-sky-blue Plancheite can be seen scatted over the Quartz. An excellent small cabinet Dioptase on Quartz with minor Plancheite from Mindouli.
