Smithsonite (rare habit)

Item Description

From the New Mexico subcollection of Marty Zinn, who himself lived in and built a specialized suite of NM minerals over decades that was widely regarded as complete for the variety here. This is an attractive and contrasting specimen of an older style of Smithsonite for the famous Kelly Mine of New Mexico, featuring unusually isolated "bubbles" of blue Smithsonite standing out against dark matrix (to just over 1 cm). This is a rare, seldom-seen style, that is thought to be quite old (pre-1960s). For the style, it is also a large piece and has no display face damage. The two-toned look, the isolation, and the contrast all make these among the most rare of Kelly Mine Smithsonites from the old days and higher levels of the famous mine. They only turn up now in old collections.