Zincolivenite

Item Description

Some of the finest specimens of this species come from Tsumeb. This is a sharp, brilliantly colored miniature of Zincolivenite that is comprised of a group of super lustrous, variegated bright to medium green, sharply formed crystals from 2 to 8 mm in size, and most of the crystals display green internal reflections! The crystals in the group are only slightly intergrown and so retain their distinct crystal shape. These stunning Zincolivenites have the have the typical form for Adamite as they should since the two minerals form a complete chemical series between them. In fact, as noted in Mindat, "prior to the approval of zincolivenite, the names 'zinc-olivenite' or 'Zn-olivenite' were also used for Zn-bearing olivenites with unspecified Zn:Cu ratios. Many 'cuproadamite' or 'cuprian adamite' specimens were also found to actually be Zincolivenite." This specimen was memorable! It is from the miniature drawers and rare species suite of the original (first, and larger) Sussman Tsumeb collection, part of which I bought in Chicago from them in the early 2000s, and sold to Erika Pohl through the Van Scriver family at that time.