Manganoan Smithsonite

Item Description

Here is a rare, excellent small cabinet specimen of sharp, red-pink Manganoan Smithsonite where the crystals almost completely cover the display face of its matrix. It is a very rich and colorful example of this unusual Smithsonite varietal from Tsumeb. The Smithsonites on this very appealing piece have a very good dark pink color, excellent luster, and classic rhombohedral habit that together makes them distinguishable by eye from the more common "pink" Cobaltoan Smithsonites. Manganoan Smithsonites, like this handsome piece, came from one small pocket area of the mine in 1984-1985, and not again before or since in such quality. The small amount of manganese substituting for zinc constrains the crystal shape, and so they are somewhat sharper rhombohedra-like crystals than the normal styles of Smithsonite from Tsumeb and the resulting color is a red-pink, so distinct once you have seen these and compared them in person to the more common pink Smithsonite styles. They are well-formed, gemmy to translucent and range in size from 0.2 to 1 cm from corner to corner across the diagonal face. This is a great example of this rare varietal, where the dark pink color is due to manganese and not the more common cobalt substitution. Internal reflections in the transparent to translucent crystals make them "pop" with color! Tsumeb produced the best Manganoan Smithsonites in the world! Historically, and even to a small degree these days, they were commonly mislabeled in old collections assembled before it was realized (and analyzed) that these unique pieces were colored by manganese instead of by cobalt. This is a fantastic small cabinet piece of this Smithsonite varietal. A really beautiful specimen on the shelf, and distinct from other smithsonites from ANY locality in the world. Valued $1500-plus.