A most unusual and most striking cabinet specimen of two generations of Calcite, one replacing the other, from the Tsumeb mine in the Oshikoto Region of Namibia. Tsumeb is famous for it numerous pseudomorphs which have formed over many cycles of paragenesis in the karstic environment. This specimen, which measures to over 10 cm, is a honeycomb network of intergrown acute rhombic Calcite crystals which have been replaced by secondary growths of sparkling rhombic Calcite in the 0.5 mm range. At first glance the sparkling appear to be Quartz, but not when examined close to. The individual cells created by the honeycomb structure are preferentially coloured, pale tan form one direction and pinkish darker tan from the other. It's a beautiful specimen and from my forty years experience of collecting and examining Tsumeb material, is not a common pseudomorph to say the least!
