Willemite on Dolomite (fluorescent!)

Item Description

RARE for the great Tsumeb Mine, gemmy BLUE Willemite is seldom available in specimens of this quality and came out in only a few pockets in the 1960s-1970s. Much of the matrix is populated by sharp, white Dolomite rhombs, and they provide an excellent contrast in form and color to the two generations of Willemite that followed. One generation is composed of sugary and lustrous, greenish-grey bands of microcrystals that snake their way this way and that across the Dolomites. On those bands are this specimen's true stars - about a dozen or so totally gemmy, light blue Willemites that are nicely distributed across the piece. Up to 5 mm, these little gems have glassy, window-like faces that allow you to see down to what the crystal grew on, and complex terminations that add even more beauty and interest. The fluorescence is nothing less than spectacular, so I will just let the photo do the talking there. This is a superb, balanced miniature with great aesthetics that shows exactly why Tsumeb blue Willemite is generally considered to be the finest examples of the species in the world. As a bonus, it fluoresces (dolomite is red!).