Copper & fluorescent Smithsonite (RARE) ex Kay Robertson Coll.

Item Description

Fascinating, RARE and unusual looking old combination material from Tsumeb from the Kay Robertson Collection # 8184. Highly sculptural globular rust-red copper is set in weirdly etched translucent light olive-green smithsonite. Kay's label says smithsonite, and it has the look and feel of etched smithsonite, but the mineral fluoresces rich pink under SW UV light, suggesting calcite. We believe it's a RARE form of fluorescent smithsonite. A very strange looking and rare 360-degree combination piece. Collected in 1958, Kay acquired this piece from Ron Bentley in 1977. Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record).