Calcite (repaired)

Calcite pervades the Tsumeb orebody although many Tsumeb collections contain few if any specimens.  This is thought to arise from many collector’s bias toward the rarer, more exotic species, with a tendency to shy away from “just” Calcite.  This also reflects the attitude during the early years of Tsumeb’s development as few Calcites are seen in old collections, although this may indicate there was little Calcite in the upper orebody.  This beautiful large thumbnail comprises of an almost spherical, 1.2 cm diameter Calcite crystal displaying natural multi-faceted faces.  The crystal is colourless to milky white and in parts, semi-transparent.  It perches on a tiny matrix of dark grey Dolomite coated with small cubic-looking crystals.  At any other location these would appear to be Fluorite, but Fluorite is rarer than hen’s teeth at Tsumeb, so must be Calcite or Smithsonite.  It is noted the specimen has been repaired, but this cannot be detected unless placed beneath a microscope, where the Calcite crystal has been almost invisibly reattached to the matrix.