Name: Otavite with Smithsonite and Rosasite
Brand: The Arkenstone
Price: 5000 USD
Availability: InStock

Otavite with Smithsonite and Rosasite

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This is a very good and very rich specimen of the extremely rare species Otavite from the famous Tsumeb Mine in Namibia! Otavite is an exceedingly rare cadmium carbonate and specimens of this species came out of the first oxidation zone around 1900, indicating this piece is over 100 years old. It is actually one of the rarest species found at Tsumeb, which is also the type locality. There have been claims of newer finds, however, any substantiation is lacking and most specimens tested by ourselves and others have simply been cadmian rich dolomite or something else. TRUE Otavite remains rare and elusive on the market, and we would suggest that many specimens online, particularly sold early before analysis was more accessible, will not meet the threshold of cadmium content to be truly Otavite. We believe, as did Mark Feinglos and Bill Pinch as my mentors, that Otavite is actually much more rare than thought. A classic association was Rosasite, prompting a good feeling that this association served as a guide to make the piece worthy of analysis. It has the right vitreous luster and surface pattern, as well. On this attractive combination piece, the Otavite is a low-profile, bubbly to botryoidal crust that richly covers the display front of the piece on pale green, translucent, Smithsonite; and accented with some vibrant blue-green Rosasite. This piece is attractive because of the rare association with the pale green Smithsonite and the blue-green Rosasite. A very colorful and rare Tsumeb thumbnail! Analysed as per the Wolfgang Wendel label (and he knew how to do it, in a friend's German lab). This was the richest large trim from a single specimen he obtained in an old European collection (we will offer others at a later time).