Smithsonite (Cu-bearing) on Dolomite

Item Description

This is an old classic style of one of the rare colors of smithsonite, with green caused by copper content. Famous for Tsumeb! Pretty sculptural and colorful piece with clusters of lustrous and translucent, light apple green, Cu-bearing smithsonite, to 5 mm. They are aesthetically emplaced over an earlier generation of white dolomite. This specimen has superb architecture and is very sparkly all around. Formerly in the Robert M. Rich Collection. Ex Ed Ruggiero Collection and acquired in May, 1975. Ed was a founding member of the Mineralogical Association of Dallas (MAD) and is the author of the "Malachite inclusions in Cerussite from Tsumeb" article in the 1977 Mineralogical Record TSUMEB! Special Issue, Vol. 8, No.3. An excellent combination example of this varietal.