Azurite Crystals with Botryoidal Malachite, Tsumeb Mine, Namibia
This specimen features near-pristine, semi-translucent Azurite crystals nestled in a groundmass made up of small calcite rhombohedra. These are coated with a yellow to orange cryptocrystalline species, possibly limonite. The blue azurite prisms are partially altered to green malachite. The combination of greens and blues within the yellow-orange groundmass provides a notable visual contrast. Colorless, translucent to transparent cerussite crystals are present throughout the matrix, along with black, well-formed Mottramite crystals. A side-angle view reveals structural deformation of the host rock during diagenesis. This Tsumeb piece was sourced from the collector/ dealer Clive Queit almost forty years ago and has remained uncirculated since then.
