Description
Detailed Description
This piece features a vein section filled with sparkling dark green dioptase crystals. The overall look is rather artistic. The dioptase crystals are deep green, sharp and glassy with some great translucence. In excellent condition, small incomplete crystals at the seam edges and a couple of chips visible with magnification. The specimen preparation included a saw to reduce the matrix, so the piece sits perfectly on a lower shelf, or is otherwise easy to orient on a stand. Beautiful dioptase, with intense green and contrast – this is an aesthetic piece.
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About These Dioptase Specimens
Dioptase was first described from Altyn Tyube, the type locality for dioptase, in the nineteenth century. Altyn Tyube is a remarkable deposit in the Steppes, far from everywhere. It was first worked for copper thousands of years B.C., and it is interesting to note that there are very few copper minerals at the locality – dioptase with occasional minor malachite and cuprite. These beautiful specimens were mined in 2015, acquired soon afterward from the team currently conducting specimen mining at Altyn Tyube.
