Smithsonite (cadmium-bearing) (2021 Find)

Item Description

This piece hails from the exciting find in 2021. We got our hands on a few of these pieces last year in Tucson, and it's my understanding that no more have been found. The typical color associated with Smithsonites from the Kelly Mine in New Mexico is an intense blue hue, arguably the most famous blue shade seen in any Smithsonites from around the world. This recent was made in what was called the "Sardinia Stope" of the mine (in reference to the famous Masua Mine in Sardinia, Italy) which produced these rarely seen and desirable YELLOW Smithsonites. I've only seen a couple of these over the years, but this find produced the most pieces that we've seen at one time. The color is due to cadmium content, and I've seen one specimen online that says the color is from hawleyite-greenockite inclusions, but I can't say if that's the case with this piece. This small cabinet / large miniature sized specimen is polished nearly everywhere, revealing the attractive botryoidal / banded soft yellow (cadmium-bearing) Smithsonite groups on all sides. There are some spheres near the inner portion of the piece which are not polished, but have a coating of reddish-brown iron oxide, though they are clearly yellow underneath. If you collect Smithsonite, minerals of New Mexico or cool secondary ore minerals, don't miss out on this beautiful and exciting newly discovered piece for your collection. It's the LAST one we have to offer in the auctions.