Most Berg Aukas smithsonite is inferior to Tsumeb material, and one watches for the rare example that just leaps out, stands on its own, and presents so nicely as this piece. The crystals are large, well developed- and nearly pristine. The largest is 4 cm, tip to tip! They dominate a well trimmed matrix, and have a beautiful green daiquiri color to them. The crystals are translucent, and practically glow when backlit as the best Berg Aukas material does. This is from an old European collection where the owner purchased it from the father of the Gobin brothers (dealers), over 20 years ago; and is one of the better examples from this locality I have seen in this style. It is, for the price and size range, a much more important example from this locality than you could get in a comparably sized Tsumeb piece, given that for some reason the Berg Aukas locality is just disparaged in pricing compared to its more famous brother locale. And yet, Berg Aukas is almost as old, and had a history of producing amazing specimens too! It was discovered in 1913, and mined until 1978 (per MINDAT). Joe Budd photos

A large, mammilary cluster of two "hills" of rounded smithsonite, showing a really unusual and nice , consistent yellow color atop more typical gray smithsonite from this locale. This is an old piece from the collection of deceased dealers Consie and Dalton Prince, of Houston. I have seen smaller examples, but none with such neat form and size in good condition. It is an older specimen, though we cannot say how old exactly. comes with custom base for display. Joe Budd photos

A stunning example of a very rare style of smithsonite, featuring intense copper-induced, neon green color combined with unusual disclike, fat crystals. This is a very unique style, and I have seen only a handful of specimens from this pocket over the years (5 pieces, total, of any quality). Three of those I saw came in a lot to Marshall Sussman at the time he was building his famous Tsumeb collections (now sold). This was the best small cabinet piece he got in the period (late 90s/early 2000s). It is absolutely pristine, perfect all around, and has great horizons. It displays on its side or upright. It is lustrous and bright, with some translucency. The color comes out well in the phtoos but the overall 3-dimensional impact of this piece, and of this style, just has to be seen in person. It is materially different from all other cuprian smithsonites in style, and these pieces just have a pizzazz to them hard to describe without holding in the hand. It is a superb Tsumeb mineral, and a world class smithsonite in my opinion. ex Marshall Sussman and Matt Tannenbaum collections. Joe Budd Photos.

A brilliantly colored, lustrous smithsonite from famous finds here brought out by Benny Fenn in the late 1990s. This was one I picked from a full table of such specimens the month after they came out of the ground. I loved it for its robust 3-dimensional shape and the intense coloration, an almost iridescent and saturated teal-blue color. In sad fact, I have had this all that time, lost in a flat since my move to Texas. Now, such pieces are very, very hard to come by and this specimen is quite good compared to any I have recently seen on the market. But then, even when they came out, I was fairly confident I got an early pick and this was one I really liked even in context of seeing a table full at once. Most had damage and edge issues, or disruptions to the uniformity of color. Joe Budd Photos.

A hot pink plate of sharp, rhombohedral smithsonite crystals. These crystals have a richer, more saturated pink color than one usually sees in this style of smithsonite from Tsumeb, which tends to be either darker or less colorful. This is a large and showy piece, as well. Probably collected in the 1970s to early 1980s, this was in the Tsumeb collection of noted dealer Rob Smith. Comes with custom lucite display base. Joe Budd Photos.