Dioptase (rare locality specimen)

Item Description

A rarely seen specimen of Dioptase from Blue Bell Mine in California. These crystals are never terribly large, often only micros, but there aren't many localities for Dioptase in the US, and this piece is a rich example featuring drusy micro crystals and crystalline formations on BOTH sides of the underlying matrix. The gorgeous emerald green hue just glows. We have photographed the piece with a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens to better illustrate the quality.
From the collection of Robert (Bob) Reynolds who passed in August of 2020. Bob was a well-known fossil and mineral expert and former Curator of Earth Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum in California. The rare phyllomanganate-chromate species Reynoldsite was named in his honor in 2011.