The mine we now call Tsumeb is a place like no other. First acquired and mined by German investors in the early 1890s, it produced 350 individual mineral species, including many that were unknown and new to science. It sits among a rarified few mines around the earth that have produced unique species. Tsumeb ceased all mining in 1996. One of the marquee minerals that are associated with Tsumeb is dioptase. It has always been among the most desirable species for collectors worldwide.
Tsumeb 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 cascading across a mountain of sparkling, emerald green dioptase. This specimen is considered the finest example known of this combination.