Detailed information
Dimensions
68 x 91 x 24
mm
Weight
124 g
Locality
Altyn-Tyube Kirghiz Steppes Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan
Condition
No recorded repairs
This fine small cabinet specimen of deep emerald green Dioptase is from its type locality at Altyn-Tyube in Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan. The Dioptase forms individual crystals of up to and just over 1 cm long while the majority of crystals are between 8 to 10 mm long. They richly cover a 0.5 to 1 cm thick plate of crystalline Calcite, which varies from colourless and milky white to a light fawn grey. A fair amount of the Calcite has a glossy satin lustre with an associated smooth glassy texture, I believe the result of acid etching to expose the Dioptase. The Dioptase crystals are a complex mixture of transparent and translucent zones, often reflecting incident light which produces an internal sparkle or glow.
