Smithsonite (classic old Ireland locale)

Item Description

Beautiful, juicy, translucent, lemon-yellow bubbly cadmium-rich smithsonite botryoids with satin luster surfaces form a colorful and excellent miniature from this extinct small Irish zinc deposit worked in about 1862-63 (MINDAT). The smithsonite is a classic and desirable old-time species. Mined for the sphalerite, the smithsonite was originally left on the spoil mounds as gangue material! 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. Contacting is noted at the top, where other botyroids once lay, but there is little damage, per se. This and the noted periphery wear have negligible impact to the rich color and high quality of this rarity. Valued by the former dealer at $280 for bright rich color and form.