Detailed information
Species
Baryte, Malachite
Dimensions
21 x 163 x 95
mm
Weight
150 g
Locality
Shangulowé Mine, Kambove District Katanga Copper Crescent Dem. Rep. of Congo
Condition
No recorded repairs
This very wide showy plate from Shangulowé mine in the Katanga Copper Crescent is the perfect demonstration of why this mine is so renowned for having produced the finest Baryte-Malachite combination specimens anywhere in the DR Congo. Its matrix is a delicate thin botryoidal crust of deep forest-green glossy Malachite but it is made so special by the well-spaced distribution of striking colour-zoned glassy coffin-shaped Baryte crystals that rise up from its surface. The Baryte crystals are extremely well-formed and in superb condition. They are quite thick compared to many seen from Shangulowé mine, and transition from colourless to white to a golden beige brown at their tips. Many of the crystals are doubly-terminated with several reaching 2 cm in length with many others over 1.5 cm long. This is without question one of the finest Baryte-Malachite combination specimens we have had from the DRC and looks magnificent on display.