Detailed information
Species
Cobaltoan Calcite, Kolwezite
Dimensions
30 x 30 x 58
mm
Weight
38 g
Locality
Mashamba West Mine Kolwezi mining district Lualaba, DR Congo
Condition
No recorded repairs
This individual, 5 cm tall, off-matrix, glassy, pink scalenohedral Cobaltoan Calcite crystal is a really stunning find from the famous Mashamba West mine, in Kolwezi mining district, DR Congo. Technically, it is at least two crystals, with one smaller crystal formed parallel to the first and attached to one side, but it is one main crystal, and this is beautifully covered in hundreds of smaller stepped crystal faces all the way up its length, like scales. Opaque pale pink at its base, its colour intensifies upwards, towards its termination, as does its transparency/translucency and its glassy lustre. Compared to most crystals from Mashamba West mine it is in exceptional condition, complete, intact, and with no visible damage. There are very few places in the world where pink Cobaltoan Calcite is found and no other that produces scalenohedral crystals of this form, or size, making this an exceptionally high quality miniature-sized individual crystal. To add to its already amazing qualities, sparsely scattered around its lower half are small dark brown spherical masses of the rare species Kolwezite - copper cobalt carbonate.