Dioptase (old - pre-1959 label!) ex Belsky Coll.

Item Description

Rich emerald-green gemmy and lustrous dioptase crystals, to 1.2 cm fill a sculptural vug in hefty dioptase and gossan matrix on this showy and rich old-timer from an unknown locality in the Republic of Congo. The specimen is similar to dioptase from Mindouli, which was mined by the French from 1948 to 1960. Ex Howard Belsky Collection. The display label shows French Equatorial Africa, a federation of French colonial possessions from 1910 to 1959, when it was dissolved. A rare old documented Republic of Congo dioptase.