Dioptase and Calcite on Matrix

This gorgeous specimen features wonderfully dark and gemmy prismatic rhombs of dioptase primarily on the left side of its display face, while a sparkling druze of clear calcite crystals is spread all over the specimen, under which lies a handsome and perfectly contrasting tawny brown matrix. The dioptase crystals are stunning in British racing green, a color that would make most emeralds jealous. Indeed, it is no surprise that dioptase was originally mistaken for emerald when first mined in Kazakhstan for Czar Paul I in the late 18th century.