Kolwezite with Cobaltoan Calcite

Kolwezite is a very rare copper cobalt hydroxyl carbonate that is found in less than 10 localities in the world. The species was first described in 1980 from the Musonoi Mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This piece just happens to be from the type locality and is the only piece of this material that I've ever had to offer. Obviously, it gets its name from the Kolwezi District in which it was first discovered.

The specimen hosts beautiful botryoidal groups of beige Kolwezite (with dark green cores) associated with wonderfully contrasting pink Cobaltoan Calcite on matrix. The largest sphere of Kowlezite measures 4 mm across. My favorite aspect of the piece is that the spheres are isolated(!) and aren't just a big intergrown mass or a loose group off matrix. It's incredibly rare to find single spheres of this species undamaged on matrix and would be a very worthwhile pickup for any rare species collector.

Specimen # TUC31728