Smithsonite var. Cuprian, Aurichalcite, and Calcite - image 1

Smithsonite var. Cuprian, Aurichalcite, and Calcite

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Attractive and complex, this small-cabinet specimen from the Sounion #6 is intriguing mineralogically for all the minerals in proximity, contrasting in color and shape. There are early layers, perhaps two generations, of lustrous green of Cuprian Smithsonite. Colored by traces of copper, and possibly Malachite as well, you can discern the two generations. These have been intergrown and capped with the small light-blue spheres of Aurichalcite, and the contrast in form and color is unique to the pocket. The better-developed and more lustrous Smithsonite is capped by two widely-varying generations of Calcite. Both the Aurichalcite and Calcite also create appealing contrasts. Found in 2020, this fascinating piece has an interesting and unique mineralogy to it.