Dioptase on Calcite

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One of Tsumeb's iconic or signature combinations, Dioptase on Calcite; and these have a distinct and dramatic beauty all their own. One basis for this wonderful aesthetic is the sheer contrast between the two species. Dioptase, a hydrous copper silicate, is known for its glassy, emerald-green crystals that can exhibit flashes of green fire when illuminated just right. Here, the lustrous crystals range from a single, 1.4 cm=tall crystal, to several crystals in the 2-4 mm range to a dozen or so mm-size gems. Cascading in size order along the matrix, the Dioptase crystals are set off beautifully by the white Calcite, which also exhibits its classic orange fluorescence. Indeed, the contrasts in form and color, as well as the distribution of the Dioptase crystals, make this a fine, representative example of this Tsumeb association. Dr. Erika Pohl-Ströher - 34362. Her number dates this to the early 1980s when it came out.