Veszelyite with CUPROZHESHENGITE on Quartz

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Sanguozhuang Pb-Zn mine (sometimes referred to as Dongchuan mine) in Dongchuan District, Kunming, Yunnan, China has, in recent years, produced some of the world's finest specimens of Veszelyite - copper zinc phosphate hydrate hydroxide - but associated with this are a series of even rarer phosphates and arsenates, four of which were first described from there and now have their own series - the Dongchuanite Group. All four members of this group look quite similar and can seamlessly grade from one to the other, but Cuprozheshengite and Cuprodongchuanite are both slightly greener due to their copper content. This miniature specimen shows not only the richness of these fascinating secondary supergene oxidation species, but their aesthetic beauty too. Comprising an unusual and distinctive bed of thin 'needle' Quartz crystals which are encrusted with a thin layer of white Hemimorphite it is the Veszelyite and Cuprozheshengite or Cuprodongchuanite which provide the colour. The Cuprozheshengite/Cuprodongchuanite forms sub-millimetre diameter glossy green globules sat upon the Hemimorphite crust but their richness means that they coalesce to form botryoidal crusts. The Veszelyite is even richer, forming isolated radiating sprays (to 5 mm across) of deep electric-blue sharp, bladed Veszelyite crystals. This is a wonderful contextural paragenetic specimen which may well be worthy of detailed chemical analysis. These rare Dongchuanite Group species have only been noted from two localities in China and, unusually for some super rare species, they are quite pretty, albeit with magnification.