Dioptase

Item Description

A good overall piece of the famous Dioptase specimens from the well-known copper-producing Kaokoveld region of Namibia. This small cabinet features sharp, lustrous, rich emerald green colored trigonal crystals of Dioptase measuring up to 1.2 cm sitting a bit of Calcite and host rock matrix. There is a tiny bit of a pale blue mineral, which could be Chrysocolla, Plancheite or Shattuckite, but it's not distinct enough to distinguish visually. There are some contacted areas, so the piece is not damage free, but it's still quite presentable and looks good in the hand or on a shelf. This specimen was mined circa 2007-2008. This piece comes from the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman, the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".