Smithsonite (Cadmium-bearing)

Item Description

Smithsonite is a diverse species in terms of its various forms and a wide range of colors. These attractive yellow Smithsonites found their way to the market a few years ago, but they were actually mined circa 2002-2003 and were held back for many years. The alluring color is caused by cadmium content, which is often the case when one encounters yellow Smithsonites like this, 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 botryoidal forms and the superb luster puts them among the best of their kind ever found. This piece is a features a layer of botryoidal Smithsonite with a velvety / vitreous luster and colors ranging from golden to yellow to almost a silvery hue sitting on matrix. 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, and the only roughness is along the periphery where it was removed from the pocket. Very attractive and now sought after since nothing has been found in many years.