Catalog Search Guide
You can search our catalog using different mineral attributes. For example, you can search by color such as green, yellow or purple, or by chemical elements such as uranium, calcium or iron, or by mineral groups such as phosphate, silicate or carbonate. You can also filter by crystal habit like crystal, geode or crystal on matrix, by specimen size such as thumbnail, small, medium or cabinet, and by features such as radioactive or fluorescent minerals.
Hemimorphite
Hemimorphite is a hydrous zinc silicate belonging to the sorosilicate class, prized by collectors for its glassy, often gem-quality crystals and distinctive fan-shaped or botryoidal habits. Its name derives from the Greek for "half" and "shape," referring to the different crystal faces at each end of a single crystal — a hemimorphic form that is a hallmark of the species. It typically forms as a secondary mineral in the oxidation zones of zinc deposits, closely associated with smithsonite, willemite, calcite, and limonite gossan.
The most celebrated locality is the Ojuela Mine in Mapimí, Durango, Mexico, source of intensely colored robin's-egg-blue botryoidal specimens and lustrous white crystal sprays on limonite matrix. Equally important is the Santa Eulalia district in Chihuahua, famed for large, sharp, translucent-to-colorless crystal fans and radiating clusters. Fine specimens also come from the Tsumeb Mine in Namibia, the Rohdenhaus Quarry in Germany, and Sa Duchessa Mine in Sardinia, Italy.
Collectors seek hemimorphite for its striking blue-green to colorless coloration, high luster, and elegant, often fluorescent crystal aggregates, making each Mexican or European specimen a standout addition to any zinc-mineral or classic-locality collection.
