Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Namibia
5 cm tall x 10.2 cm wide
Tsumeb, the most storied of all mines for collectors, has produced two versions of the calcite and dioptase combination. The more common version is dioptase on calcite. This is one, of only a handful, where the paragenesis has been reversed: calcite on top of dioptase.
The calcites are translucent, limpid rhombohedrons floating across a bed of sparkling, emerald green dioptase. The white calcite over the green dioptase is the ultimate example of contrast.