Manganoan Smithsonite with Wulfenite - image 1

Manganoan Smithsonite with Wulfenite

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Manganese induced color in smithsonite is known in large, sharp crystals ONLY from a few small finds of the mid-1980s from Tsumeb in Namibia. It is, and remains, one of the rarest varieties of crystallized smithsonite. The crystals have a distinct sharp rhombohedral shape and a sharpness, combined with a subtle color difference, that the experienced eye can spot immediately and separate from the much more common cobaltian smithsonite specimens that Tsumeb produced in relative abundance. This is 1000 times more rare than a pink cobaltian smithsonite! As a bonus, it has a sharp, orange wulfenite, 8mm, ensconced among manganoan smithsonite crystals to 1.4 cm. This is a large matrix specimen, very uncommon.