Cuprian Smithsonite with Dolomite - image 1
Cuprian Smithsonite with Dolomite - image 2
specimen video

Cuprian Smithsonite with Dolomite

Unknown Owner
Rarely does an individual pocket within a mine reach legendary status, but that is exactly what the Blue Pocket is at Tsumeb mine. The name of the pocket does, of course, come from the colour of the Cuprian Smithsonite crystals found within, but these belie the true rarity of Cuprian Smithsonite crystals. At Tsumeb, Cuprian Smithsonite is usually a green variety, with lime-green the typical shade, but discrete rhombic crystals are simply never seen there. Much rarer are the blue Cuprian Smithsonites. Worldwide, botryoidal forms dominate the pale blue Cuprian Smithsonites, the exception being the 'Blue Pocket' at Tsumeb mine. There, sharp rhombic crystals were found, but not only that, they are beautifully laid out on a pale cream coloured Dolomite matrix which enhances their magnificent appearance which includes ghostly internal colour zonation. This world-class miniature specimen from that famed pocket comes from the generations-old Weyand Collection which was held back in Tsumeb. The Cuprian Smithsonite crystals are everything one could wish for - sharp, undamaged rhombs, reaching 7 mm on edge, spaced out so that their amazing overall form can be enjoyed; mystical internal zoning with an iconic soft peppermint blue colour. For the die-hard Tsumeb collector this really is the holy-grail.

Product details

Species
Smithsonite, DolomiteAbout Smithsonite →
SizeSmall Cabinet
Dimensions5.7 x 5.1 x 2.8 cm
Added on11/22/2025
Locality
Namibia, Oshikoto Region, TsumebRegional guide →

Known provenance

DateCollectorAcquisition price
01/2026Unknown Owner$12,500.00
—Crystal ClassicsNot disclosed

Learn more

Smithsonite
Mineral guide
Learn about Smithsonite
ZnCO3 with botryoidal and crystalline forms, silky to vitreous luster, pastel hues from cobalt to yellow; localities boost collecting appeal.
Smithsonite
Regional guide
Smithsonite from Tsumeb, Namibia
is one of the defining collector minerals of Tsumeb: not merely because it is common there, but because Tsumeb turns a usually massive or botryoidal zinc carbonate into a locality signature mineral with uncommon crystal variety, depth of color, and association. Tsumeb smithsonite spans the familiar apple-greens and blue-greens of copper-bearing material, soft pink to violet-pink cobaltoan and manganoan-looking rhombs, yellow-brown and chocolate-brown iron-rich crystals, pale grey to white crusts, colorless to translucent rhombs, and rare red-pink material from the deeper oxidized workings. The best specimens combine sharp rhombohedral or scalenohedral crystals with the sculptural mineralogical theater for which Tsumeb is famous: galena-rich sulfide matrix, sugary dolomite, black tennantite and pyrite ore, cerussite, mimetite, malachite, wulfenite, duftite, dioptase, and willemite.