Detailed information
Species
Dioptase, Plancheite, Quartz
Dimensions
57 x 90 x 44
mm
Weight
194 g
Locality
Kaokoveld Plateau Kunene Region Namibia
Condition
No recorded repairs
Never quite as gemmy as the Dioptase crystals from Tsumeb elsewhere in Namibia, the Dioptase from Kaokoveld Plateau in Kunene Region is best known for its size (of crystals) and for their dramatic association with bright powder-blue Plancheite. This fine specimen features exactly that combination, with deep emerald-green translucent rhombic prisms of Dioptase, the longest reaching 1.7 cm in length. Although translucent and deep green in colour, the surface lustre of the Dioptase crystals is not quite fully glassy. These large, well-formed Dioptase crystals, line a large vug within brecciated Quartz cemented with massive chalky ?Chrysocolla, with velvety acicular blue Plancheite lining the cavities before the larger Dioptase crystals came along on top.