Smithsonite - image 1

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Smithsonite

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Yale Peabody Museum

0 for sale

Smithsonite, 31 cm, from the Kelly mine, Magdalena, Socorro County, New Mexico. Donor: Frank L. Nason (1856–1928); Harold Moritz photo.

Product details

Species

SmithsoniteAbout Smithsonite →

SizeMuseum

Dimensions31.0 cm

Added on02/13/2026

Locality

USA, New Mexico, Kelly MineRegional guide →

Publications

Mineralogical Record Mineral Collections In American Northeast page 434

Comments

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Smithsonite

Learn about Smithsonite

ZnCO3 with botryoidal and crystalline forms, silky to vitreous luster, pastel hues from cobalt to yellow; localities boost collecting appeal.

Smithsonite

Smithsonite from Kelly Mine, New Mexico, USA

Kelly Mine smithsonite is one of the defining American classics: rounded, grape-like masses of blue to blue-green zinc carbonate with a glow that can look less like a mineral surface than a pool of frozen water. The best pieces are the famous “Kelly blue” specimens—translucent, lustrous botryoidal crusts and spheroids, often with pale internal banding visible along broken edges or natural windows. Fine examples combine color, luster, depth, and undamaged rolling form in a way that makes them instantly recognizable across a room.