Dioptase (new find) (with one "phantom" crystal)

Item Description

This specimen was collected in January of 2011, so it just came out of the ground this year. Dioptase is known from a few world localities in superb quality specimens, but recently there was a find of new material in the Pool Region of the Republic of Congo. The best of these specimens show great color, with larger sized crystals and in some cases, EXCELLENT gemminess. This particular specimen hosts very sharp, rich emerald green color Dioptase crystals up to 1.5 cm forming a fairly attractive overall specimen. The bigger crystal in the center of the piece actually show a distinct internal "phantom" when strongly backlit. There is a bit of roughness here and there, but not too bad overall. This find seemed to be somewhat limited, and hopefully will produce more of this great quality Dioptase. With the price of Tsumeb Dioptase specimens rising daily, this is a great opportunity to snag a "Tsumeb"-type quality specimen of this species for a fraction of the price. Difficult to photograph, and better in person.