Smithsonite (classic material)

Item Description

The Tsumeb Mine in Namibia is one of the most prolific localities in the history of mineral collecting, producing a large number of fine quality, beautiful and often colorful species, many of which are about as good as they get on a worldwide scale. This piece is a fine quality and eye-catching small cabinet featuring rhombic crystals of light pink colored Smithsonite measuring up to 1.7 cm across, with a semi-vitreous luster and an almost "silky" interior when backlit. For years these specimens were labeled / identified as a cobalt-bearing variety, but I've noticed that this moniker seems to have disappeared from the specimens posted to mindat.org, so I cannot say for certain if there is some new research showing that the pink hue is due to another chromophore, or if the actual variety "Cobalt-bearing Smithsonite or Cobaltoan / Cobaltian Smithsonite" has been phased out. With that said, these pink Smithsonites are iconic from Tsumeb, and the fact that they occur in euhedral, good sized rhombic crystals is a big deal, as most pink Smithsonites from other world localities are not well-crystallized, which is what makes the Tsumeb pieces so valuable and significant.
Valued $8,000-$9,000
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 2616. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information