MALACHITE & SHATTUCKITE ON QUARTZ

ABOUT THE SPECIMEN

Visually superb specimen from finds in Namibia. A highly lustrous, richly colored prismatic crystal of malachite sits right atop the contrasting quartz base, with light blue, botryoidal growths of shattuckite adding a beautiful layer atop the whole ensemble. While the combination of shattuckite and malachite isn't all too uncommon, primary malachite rarely forms as free standing crystals in this association. The contrast and balance between the  three elements combine to make for a really choice miniature!

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MORE INFO

Neoproterozoic copper-bearing dolomites and argillites of the Devede Formation in the Damara Supergroup, part of the Ombombo Subgroup deposited around 760 Ma. The deposits formed through oxidation of primary copper sulfides in hydrothermal veins emplaced during the Pan-African Damara Orogeny between 600-530 Ma. Specimens display botryoidal and spherical aggregates of deep blue shattuckite reaching up to 1 cm diameter, characteristically perched on milky quartz matrix with acicular sprays of emerald green "primary" malachite that formed directly as malachite rather than as an alteration from azurite. The visual contrast between velvet blue shattuckite and lustrous green malachite makes these combinations particularly striking. What distinguishes Kandesei is its status as one of the world's premier shattuckite localities - the mine produced exceptional specimens during the 2000s-2010s, with notable finds documented by Charlie Key around 2005-2010. Mining has since been largely abandoned, making quality material increasingly scarce.