Smithsonite (Cadmium-bearing) (classic Irish locale)

Item Description

Smithsonite is a diverse species, found in a wide range of styles and colors due to the fact that it can take on various chromophores creating beautiful hues. The Sheshodonnell Mine in Ireland produced some beautiful yellow Smithsonite specimens, which are some of the most eye-catching examples from anywhere in Europe. The entry for this locality on mindat.org states that there was a vein of Sphalerite that COMPLETELY altered to Smithsonite over the length of about 100m, producing these beautiful yellow specimens which get their color due to a tiny amount of cadmium content. This piece is a lovely toenail sized specimen of these elusive and sought Smithsonite featuring gorgeous yellow botryoidal aggregates measuring up to about 7 mm across, sitting on gemmy colorless Quartz matrix. The surface luster has an almost velvety quality. The upper layer is more of a golden hue, but just below (you can see on the contacted edges around the periphery) the color is a brighter more saturated yellow hue. These specimens are quite similar to the valuable old classics from the famous Masua Mine in Italy, and compare quite favorably to the contemporary specimens from Wenshan, China. The Sheshodonnell Mine is long closed and bulldozed and you'll never see any more specimens of this material again, so don't miss out on getting your hands on one of these incredibly rare and beautiful pieces from the British Isles.