Dioptase from Renéville, Pool Department, Republic of the Congo

$3,500.00

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Gorgeous lustrous green crystals of dioptase measuring to 1.5 cm in size mostly covering the top of this matrix. The specimen is in great condition. The mines around Reneville, located in the Pool Department of the Republic of the Congo within the Niari Basin, is historically renowned for its rich polymetallic mineral deposits. Geologically, the area consists of sedimentary rock formations where intensive supergene oxidation processes have yielded exceptional secondary copper mineralization, most notably world-class crystal specimens of dioptase and malachite. Historically, the deposits of this region were worked by local African communities for centuries before European contact, serving as a vital medium for regional trade. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, French colonial prospectors initiated formal industrial extraction, targeting the high-grade copper carbonates that characterize the district.