Demesmaekerite (remarkably rare)

Item Description

Demesmaekerite is an incredibly rare hydrated lead copper uranium selenide species, only found in THREE places in the world! This piece comes from the type locality, the Musonoi Mine in DR Congo, where the best examples have been found. It features a central vug with many thin triclinic bladed crystals of an olive-green / brownish-green hue, sitting on Malachite. Demesmaekerite starts out as more of a bottle green color (according to mindat.org) when it is still hydrated, but will lose some of the water content over time and then turn the brownish-green color. For reference, this mineral was named after the Belgian geologist, Gaston Demesmaeker in 1965, and they are virtually impossible to obtain these days, so if you collect rarities or minerals from the type locality, don't miss out on this one. From the collection of Wendell Overcash.