Mimetite

$1,750.00

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T

The ArkenstoneFeatured

3,403 for sale·Member since 2026

From a small discovery that sets the record for the quality of this species in China and is also among the most notable worldwide discoveries of mimetite, this is a sharp, vibrantly colored, robust thumbnail specimen of competition quality. The large crystal is 1.5 cm across, and is perfect and symmetric. Note that it positively glows orange when backlit even slightly. We do not show it in exaggerated lights. It is better in person. The piece has excellent display aesthetic, color, luster, and balance to display as a thumbnail in a competitive case: i.e. an important specimen with its own aesthetic and balance proportionate to size; rather than only a "small example" of larger specimens. Steve Smale bought this when they came out (2003 or so). They were found and mined in 2001-2002 and sold in 2003-2005. We have simply been unable to obtain more since that time, and the mine is just dead for mimetite. So, this is a legendary modern classic, a Chinese classic, and a notable find for species all at the same time. Steve is not known for his thumbnails as widely as for his miniatures and small cabinet suite of China minerals, but he was an early and avid buyer nonetheless. Recently sold to us, we are happy to release some of his Chinese hoard from the late 90s and early 2000s. Steve himself, one of the first collectors to dive all in on China minerals by the mid 1990s when he was based in Hong Kong, plans to have a new book on part of his China collection coming out shortly after his 96th birthday in 2026.