Smithsonite Var. Manganoan

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Many people never even see a piece like this, and assume all pink smithsonites are cobaltian. But there is an exception, as here: An ivory colored limestone matrix is nearly covered by intergrown, lustrous and translucent, crystals of maroon-pink mangano-smithsonite, that reach 5 mm across. This is a very rare variety of smithsonite where the red is induced by MANGANESE and not by COBALT, as usually seen in pink smithsonites. This style was found once, in a special pocket circa 1984, and remains unkown from other locales. The pieces of this pocket are recognizable to a trained eye by the combination of a subtly different color and sharp crystal form, compared to most other smithsonite finds at Tsumeb. This is a very rich, large specimen from the pocket. Ex. collection of A. Balhao, Kombat, Namibia.