Smithsonite

Unknown Owner

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This unusual smithsonite from the classic Kelly Mine has a large rolling display face with the best robins-egg blue color you could ask for, alternating with an unusual thin coating or intergrowth of white smithsonite that really accents the intense blue color all the more. The luster is phenomenal, and it glows from across the room in a case. It is pristine and complete all around, as set horizontally. This is a very unusual style. Some people will say they want only a "pure blue" piece, but I think the unusual white accents around the periphery really give it a style and dimensionality that makes it stand out from the thousands of "pure blue" specimens that came out in the heyday of this classic old US locale. This is one of several pieces from a small, choice smithsonite collection I purchased in 2013. It probably dates from the mining here in the 1970s-1980s. Joe Budd photos.