Dioptase with Wulfenite (new find!)

Item Description

From a fine in January of 2019, here is some of the latest from the now well-known Mpita Mine located on the railroad between Lutete and Mindouli in Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville).. Dioptase is almost universally loved, but one problem with the species is that there aren't too many world localities that produce excellent specimens. The pieces from this new find at the Mpita Mine came to us from a good friend who collected everything personally. These new specimens are honestly a bit different from most of the pieces that we've handled from this locality in the past. Instead or large individual crystals, you can see smaller beautiful semi-parallel growth clusters of Dioptase on matrix. The color of the crystals shows that classic emerald green hue, and they are highly lustrous with prismatic trigonal form, but what really sets them off is the many small brilliant orange-yellow crystals of Wulfenite sprinkled over the top. We took some micro photos with a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens to better illustrate the quality of the little Wulfenites, and you can see that they are actually pyramidal in habit, which is not common in our experience. The contrast between the Dioptase and the Wulfenites is wonderful, and reminds me in a way of the classic specimens from Tiger, Arizona. There are some spots of damage on the piece, so it's not 100% pristine, but it's a lot fun to view under the microscope. We all know that the prices for Tsumeb Dioptase specimens are on the rise, but you can pick up this attractive specimen for a great price, with an association that is rarely seen around the world.