Smithsonite (cadmium-bearing)

Item Description

These impressive and fine quality yellow Smithsonites made their way to the market a few years ago, but they were actually mined circa 2002-2003 and were held back for many years. The color is caused by cadmium content, which is often the case when one encounters yellow Smithsonites like this. They immediately reminded collectors of the famous old classic yellow Cadmian Smithsonites from the Masua Mine in Italy that were mined many decades ago. The Chinese specimens with their fantastic color, flowing botryoidal forms and the superb luster puts them among the best of their kind ever found. This piece is a very showy, three-dimensional large cabinet specimen featuring a thick layer of botryoidal, strong yellow color Smithsonite with a velvety / vitreous luster on matrix. The Smithsonite actually formed in layers or bands and you can even see Smithsonite "balls" on the back of the piece. Lastly, the pieces glows with an electric pink fluorescence under UV light. This material was limited on the market when it was first discovered, but now it's incredibly hard to get your hands on good pieces, especially large cabinets like this. No real damage to speak of, except along the periphery where it was removed from the pocket. Very attractive and now sought after since nothing has been found in many years. Priced in the inventory at $4,500. PLEASE NOTE: This piece is fairly good sized and a bit heavy, so it will require an additional shipping charge, so please keep this in mind when bidding. Feel free to ask any questions before placing a bid.