Smithsonite (Copper-bearing) (from 1927)

Item Description

A beautiful old-time specimen from Tsumeb, which according to Kurt Hefendehl's collection catalogue originally came from the collection of Paul Ulses in 1927! This nearly century old display specimen is a solid group of soft green colored (copper-bearing) Smithsonite, which looks to have possibly formed as a dissolution "cast" after a preexisting mineral. Tiny, sparkling / drusy micro-crystallized Smithsonite can be seen on all sides, with almost organic looking formations, resembling some kind of plant life. The piece is beautiful to view in your hand, and fun to look at up close with a loupe or under the microscope. This particular style is incredibly rare to find on the market, and from Tsumeb in general, and is a great example of the kind of material that was coming out of Tsumeb nearly 100 years ago.
From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#91 T), a well-known German collector all over Europe with worldwide contacts to dealers and collectors. He started collecting seriously at the age of 14 and his great and varied worldwide collection reached over 6000 pieces. He was very active mineralogically until shortly before his passing in 2020 at the age of 82. Considering his collection had a large number of pieces, it still had an unusually high standard of quality from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics as well as minerals of the Black Forest, where he spent much time collecting. His Black Forest and German subcollections went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. We at The Arkenstone have the privilege of offering the remainder of this great worldwide collection through our various platforms.