Detailed information
Species
Chrysocolla, Malachite, Quartz
Dimensions
43 x 32 x 25
mm
Locality
Tenke-Fungurume area Kolwezi mining district Lualaba, DR Congo
Condition
No recorded repairs
A double pseudomorph of intense sky-blue Chrysocolla replacing Malachite after Azurite and coated in Quartz. It is punctuated with a 1 cm diameter Quartz-coated Malachite rosette and an area over which the mainly ubiquitous Quartz coating is missing, so allowing the true colour and texture of the Chrysocolla to be observed. This specimen is from the magnificent recent find in the Tenke-Fungurume area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Central Africa. A single, broad tabular crystal of pseudomorphed Chrysocolla, 2.5 cm tall by 1.8 cm across its base dominates the specimen and sits above several part-crystals, most of which have been naturally broken, re-healed with Quartz and now show their internal structure following the complex sequence of pseudomorphing. The primary tabular Chrysocolla crystal tapers towards its termination and is entirely encrusted with sparkling micro-Quartz crystals with a bright glassy lustre. This 1 to 2 mm thick coating forms a light grey translucent halo around the rim of the Chrysocolla. The Chrysocolla is a stunning sky-blue and throughout the base can be seen a remnant core of deep leaf and emerald-green Malachite. The Tenke-Fungurume area delineates a 30 km copper-cobalt mineralised zone between Tenke hill in the NW and Fungurume hill in the SE of the Kolwezi mining district. The region holds large ore reserves and to date a suite of 31 minerals have been recorded, including some exceedingly rare copper species. A striking pseudomorph displaying various styles of internal paragenesis and rich patches of Quartz covered crystallised Malachite, mounted on a square colourless acrylic base.