Smithsonite (Cadmium-bearing)

Item Description

Smithsonite has been found in a wide range of colors and habits/styles around the world. This piece is a lovely specimen of these soon-to-be-classic Smithsonites from the Wenshan area in China. Although people might think of these attractive yellow Smithsonites as contemporary specimens, (due to the fact that they made their way to the market only a few years ago), they were actually mined circa 2002-2003 and were held back for many years. The thought was that perhaps more pieces would be found, but ultimately everything you see for sale came from the initial discoveries. The alluring color is due to a small amount of cadmium content, which is often the case when one encounters yellow Smithsonites like this. These pieces compare quite well to the famous old classic yellow cadmium-bearing Smithsonites from the Masua Mine in Italy that were mined many decades ago, or the more contemporary examples from the Santa Eulalia Mining District in Mexico. The Wenshan 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-yellow to almost a golden-orange 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, but the underside of the piece has been sawn. Very attractive and now sought after since nothing has been found in many years.