Smithsonite (classic old Ireland locale)

Item Description

A classic and desirable bright lemon-yellow Irish smithsonite. Translucent botryoids richly cover all sides of the large, sculptural, vuggy, solid smithsonite on this showy and dramatic old-timer from this extinct small zinc deposit worked in about 1862-63 (MINDAT). Mined for the sphalerite, the smithsonite was originally left on the spoil mounds as gangue material! The noted bruised faces have very minimal impact to this important old-timer. The bright color is caused by trace amounts of cadmium sulfide. We almost never see these for sale today! Pieces like this were said to be collected in remining of the dumps in the 1960s and 1970s, but few are to be found today. This one has EXCEPTIONAL color, by the way.