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Mineral Specimens with Smithsonite
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4.2 x 3.5 x 2.3 cm. Translucent and lustrous spheres of gray smithsonite, to 1.75 cm across are connected by a thin septae of matrix. One ball is damaged, the others intact. Ex. Charlie Key.
2.4 x 1.6 x 1.0 cm. Vividly colored a bright apple green by copper, and translucent, this specimen is a thin plate of solid crystalline smithsonite. Ex. Charlie Key.
7.5 x 6.8 x 4.0 cm. An EXCELLENT, OLD-TIME and UNCOMMON Tsumeb specimen from the Rob Smith Collection. Lustrous, sharp and hexgonal, tan mimetite crystals to 1.8 cm RICHLY and attractively cover the 3-dimensional matrix. The mimetite crystals are preferentially coated with lustrous, gray smithsonite microcrystals. The matrix of this very fine piece is botryoidal green and massive blue-gray willemite! This is an old specimen, from the upper levels of this famous and now-closed mine. This is a hefty zinc and lead specimen, for its size, at 398 grams or 7/8 of a pound! Essentially pristine, with only a trivial bit of periphery bruising. An important, old-time combination specimen.
5.6 x 4.5 x 3.8 cm. This is a WEIRD Tsumeb smithsonite - with little cauliflower-like forms massed together, on a limonitic matrix. Tsumeb turned out smithsonites in all sorts of styles, but this is very unusual!
13.0 x 11.2 x 5.6 cm. This is another old 19th Century mineral specimen from the famous late-1800s Jefferis collection. In this case smithsonite has pseudomorphed calcite crystals which reach 3.75 cm across. In addition, a surface coating of greenockite, cadmium sulfide, has covered the crystals. This is a famous old occurrence and specimens are rare today, particularly cabinet sized pieces such as this one which have preserved whole clusters. The Jefferis label accompanying is dated 1878. Ex. Carnegie Museum Collection.
6.7 x 4.3 x 2.4 cm. This limonite matrix has two crystals, one complete, of smithsonite after calcite. The complete crystal measures 2.25 cm across and it as well as the open hollow crystal are colored yellowish-tan by the cadmium sulfide mineral greenockite. Classic old material hard to obtain today. Ex. Carnegie Museum Collection.
9.3 x 9.3 x 5.1 cm. This whole specimen is shot through with massive smithsonite. The best part, however, is a druse of botryoidal, tan, smithsonite, sitting in a vug. From the 19th Century collection of William W. Jefferis, dated 8-21-1873. This is a locality specimen for the species. Ex. Carnegie Museum Collection.
8.8 x 4.4 x 4.2 cm. On a sliver of massive ore, this EXCELLENT, OLD-TIME cluster of lustrous and water-clear smithsonite scalenohedrons, to 2.0 cm in length, is accessorized by having a preferential surface coating of goethite (?), in the form of a rich dusting. The dusting give this superb specimen an other-worldly appearance. A SUPERB accent are the few scattered, yellow (cadmium-rich) smithsonite crystals. Incredibly interesting smithsonite, really different than so many hundreds of others I have seen. Ex. Dr. Eugene Sensel and George Elling Collections.
6.4 x 5.9 x 2.6 cm. A cluster of BIG smithsonite crystals from the greatest worldwide mineral locality, Tsumeb! These crystals measure up to TWO CENTIMETERS across, which makes them rare not just for Tsumeb, but for anywhere! But the fact they ARE from Tsumeb makes the specimen just that much more desirable. The color is hard to describe, but accurately depicted in the photos - similar to the color of a German pyromorphite from Bad Ems, if you are familiar with those. From the well-known California collection of Charles Hansen.
6.2 x 4.1 x 3.7 cm. A showy and rich Tsumeb cluster of large, very glassy, striated, mostly colorless smithsonite rhombs on a shard of matrix. The rhombs reach 2.0 cm and are attractively and preferentially tinted with iron oxides on the crystal faces and edges. Excellent material from this famous and now-closed mine. Essentially pristine with only a tiny bit of periphery wear. Ex. George Elling Collection.
9.8 x 5.4 x 4.9 cm. Another fine (and rare) Tsumeb specimen out of the Tsumeb collection of Rob Smith - this one, a smithsonite of absolutely REMARKABLE color - or more accurately, luster. The razor-sharp crystals here have this marvelous pearly luster, with a slight green/tan tint in their centers. I am told by some these are lead-rich, as with the plumboan calcites. Never seen proof, though. Most of them are about one centimeter across. The specimen is in great condition. Though Tsumeb, as probably the greatest mineral locality ever, produced a lot of specimens, it is still hard to find unique ones, and they are usually very highly-priced due to that special Tsumeb "aura."
4.8 x 4.5 x 4.2 cm. Very glassy and gemmy, emerald-green, somewhat rounded cuprian smithsonite crystals richly fill vuggy matrix on this MAGNIFICENT and showy Tsumeb specimen. Emerald-green Tsumeb cuprian smithsonite of this quality and rich color saturation is RARE and HIGHLY DESIRABLE, only coming available from elite collections. Formerly in the Ron Bentley Collection, first curator of the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences'' mineral collection.
2.4 x 0.8 x 0.8 cm. A pseudomorph of smithsonite after euhedral dolomite crystals, with the yellow so-called "turkey-fat" coloring unique to this find in Rush. Color is due to cadmium or greenockite inclusions.
10.4 x 6.9 x 5.8 cm. This is a large, very rich specimen of Tsumeb smithsonite. In person, it has a pretty, light greenish-tan color that did not come out in the photo. The shiny crystals are just all over this 3-dimensional, limonitic matrix, filling its pockets and piled up on its projections. In fact, the contact is only on the bottom, and the specimen can be viewed from almost any direction showing off its sparkly 0.5-cm crystals.
5.9 x 5.6 x 3.6 cm. Kelly Mine smithsonites have become really hard to get. This one features silky, shimmering botryoids with a pretty sea-foam color - an old, classic style. From the collection of noted California collector Charles Hansen.
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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share specimen![Smithsonite from Tsumeb Mine (Tsumcorp Mine), Tsumeb, Otjikoto (Oshikoto) Region, Namibia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-155869a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-155869a.jpg)
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