Mineral Spotlight: Dioptase

An exquisite mineral that captures the attention of mineral and crystal collectors alike.

Dioptase forms in lustrous color tones ranging from what we might call an emerald green to an intense blueish-green hue.

They can form in larger, perfectly double terminated crystals, or as a very small druzy on associated minerals like quartz, calcite and chrysocolla.

In previous centuries, dioptase was highly prized as gemstones in jewelry because of the glass-like qualities it displays when faceted.

Primarily, Dioptase forms through hydrothermal processes.  Molten liquids rich in copper and silica, rise to the earths surface and are deposited on host rocks with the right chemical properties for dioptase to form.

World class specimens of Dioptase come from the Altyn-Tyube mine in Kazakhstan and the Tsumeb Mine in Namibia.