Detailed information
Species
Smithsonite, Galena
Dimensions
82 x 105 x 83
mm
Weight
977 g
Locality
Tsumeb Mine Tsumeb, Oshikoto Region Namibia
Condition
No recorded repairs
This large and heavy specimen (weighing in at almost 1 kg) from Tsumeb mine is both an extremely rich and well-crystallized Smithsonite, but also an impressive Galena too with large (to several cm) flattened (perhaps spinel-twinned) crystals aggregated to form the dense matrix. The Smithsonite is a pure colourless, white to grey variety and its crystals are all excellent classic rhombic forms consistently reaching 8 to 9 mm in size. They show preference to one side of the Galena crystals, leaving the other side open to show the somewhat etched blue-grey metallic surfaces of the wonderfully complex Galena crystals. A fascinating piece worthy of a more detailed look. Ex Weyand collection.