Malachite

An outstanding cabinet specimen of two generations of Malachite from the famous Mashamba West mine in the Kolwezi mining district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This mine commenced operations back in 1978 while the country at that time was named Zaire. The mine is primarily a cobalt-copper producer and although only a limited number of species are present in the orebody (about 25), those that it does produce can be magnificent. The first generation of Malachite forms choice dark leaf-green rosettes of intermeshed cockscomb Malachite with blades to over 1 cm, forming open clusters and piled-up stalagmitic mounds to 4 cm tall. These rosettes have a matt lustre and act as a perfect foil to the second generation of rich druses of deep emerald-green acicular crystals with a bight glassy lustre. These druses cover much of the specimen and where light catches the curved edges of the botryoidal mounds, outlines of bright emerald-green satins form. A glorious coloured, textured and architectural Malachite form Mashamba West.