Manganoan Smithsonite

Item Description

Here is a rare larger specimen of sharp, pink Manganoan Smithsonite that completely covers the display face of its matrix, and is quite rich for this unusual Smithsonite varietal from Tsumeb. The Smithsonites have a very good dark pink color, excellent luster, and classic rhombohedral habit that together makes them distinguishable by eye from the more common cobaltian smithsonites. Manganoan smithsonites like this came from one small pocket area of the mine in 1984-1985, and not again before or since in such quality. The manganese constrains the crystal shape, and so they are somewhat sharper rhombohedra-like crystals than the normal styles of smithsonite from Tsumeb. The color is a red-pink, not a pink-pink, also distinct once you have seen these and compared them in person to the more common pink smithsonite styles. They are well-formed, gemmy to translucent and range in size from 0.2 to 1 cm from corner to corner across the diagonal face. This is a great example of this rare varietal, where the dark pink color is due to manganese and not the more common cobalt substitution. Internal reflections in the transparent to translucent crystals make these crystals "pop" with color! Tsumeb produced the best Manganoan Smithsonites in the world! The distinct reddish tones of Manganoan Smithsonite are distinct compared to the pastel pink hues of various styles of Cobaltoan Smithsonite from Tsumeb and are readily distinguishable although also commonly mislabeled in old collections assembled before it was realized that these unique pieces were colored by manganese instead of by cobalt. Most Manganoan Smithsonite is thought to have come out in the mid-1980s, and was originally sold as Cobaltian Smithsonite prior to analysis. This large, rich specimen is a treasure from that era. Valued $4000-plus.