Smithsonite (cadmium rich) on Calcite

Item Description

The video says it all - this is a piece that sparkles like yellow sugar on a cookie, and just glows with color! It is one of the most color-saturated minerals of any kind or species, we have seen, period. The sparkles are small crystals of cadmium-rich smithsonite, one of the rarest varietals of smithsonite. It is not a species in and of itself, but is often called Cadmium Smithsonite in any case. This coating overlays blocky white calcite crystals. This is one of a very small number of spectacular pieces we bought in China in 2019, from a single pocket, apparently. We have not seen or had more since. It is hard to value, as the color is so amazing that it stands out from across a room almost, like a pure lemon. In fact, it is surely the most saturated and purest lemon-peel yellow color we have ever seen in a cadmium smithsonite.