Velvety, brunswick-green, chatoyant acicular malachite crystals after azurite are complemented by royal blue azurite and nicely contrasting quartz with calcite. The chatoyant effect is due to the radial, fibrous structure of the malachite, as shown in the photographs. Tentatively identified ancillary species include cryptocrystalline red cuprite, yellow-green Bayledonite (likely pseudomorphed after another mineral), and colorless, acicular “jackstraw” cerussite (none analyzed). This remarkable specimen is classic Tsumeb material, likely sourced from the upper oxidized zone. It was acquired from noted Tsumeb collector and dealer Clive Queit during the go-go days of the 1980s and has remained uncirculated since that time.
