Hemimorphite

When we speak of depth of color and luster they are exemplified by specimens like this one. Easily mistaken for a Kelly Mine Smithsonite at first glance. This piece came out of the Luiz Menezes collection and was likely found in the early 1990s. Blue hemimorphite is often misattributed to the Santo Nino Mine in the Santa Maria del Oro District farther northwest in Durango and there is also some discussion on confusion with specimens from the 79 Mine in Arizona. A read of Tom Moores compendium attributes the Santo Nino, which connected to the Bocona Mine. Mindat  strongly points out “it can be referred to as the Bocona-Santo Nino Mine. However, the blue hemimorphite for which the locality is famous comes from stopes most directly accessed through the Bocona workings.”

Locality: La Bocona Mine, Cerro Las Minitas, Guadalupe Victoria Municipality, Durango, Mexico

Composition: zinc silicate