Smithsonite (Cadmium-bearing)

Item Description

Smithsonite is found in a wide range of colors around the world, but yellow examples are fairly uncommon. Most of the time, the chromophore in bright or rich yellow colored Smithsonite is cadmium, and that is indeed the case for these wonderful specimens from Wenshan. These attractive and beautiful yellow Smithsonites popped up on the market a few years ago, but they were actually mined circa 2002-2003 and were held back for many years in the hopes that more would be found. The yellow color and botryoidal habit in these specimens is similar to the famous old classic yellow Cadmian Smithsonites from the Masua Mine in Italy that were mined many decades ago. The Chinese specimens with their excellent color, flowing spherical forms and above average luster puts them among the best of their kind ever found. This piece is a features a layer of botryoidal Smithsonite with an almost gentle velvety luster and a deep yellow color sitting on matrix. If you flip the piece over, you can see that the Smithsonite was deposited in layers, and the earlier generations are a light grey hue, no yellow whatsoever. Additionally, there are some small patches of an unknown orange mineral on the surface, possibly a cadmium-bearing mineral. This material was limited on the market when it was first discovered, but now it's incredibly hard to get your hands on good pieces. No major damage (I can see one "rub" on the left side of the piece), save the edges where the piece was removed from the pocket wall. Very attractive and now sought after since nothing has been found in many years.