Smithsonite and Calcite

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Until you pull this out of the box, you have no real idea of how scintillating and interesting this small-cabinet sized specimen is. The matrix is brown, opaque Calcite sparkles like glass all over, and that morphs into well-formed scalenohedral crystals up to 1.4 cm. This very stark topography is completely coated by lustrous and gemmy microcrystals of Smithsonite coating the Calcites, which is what gives the sparkle and the weight/heft. Then, as to emphasize the mountainous theme, there are serpentine clusters of white, crystalline Calcite that snake their way in waves, glacier-like, between and on the coated Calcites from side to side. With a wonderful and unique aesthetic, this stands out. It looks kinetic, between sparkles and the wave that draws the eye. This was collected from the Jean Baptiste Mine in Lavrion in 2018.