WILLEMITE - FRANKLINITE, TSUMEB MINE - TSUMEB NAMIBIA (cabinet)

Willemite is a rare zinc silicate mineral (Zn2SiO4) and serves as a minor source of zinc. It exhibits strong green fluorescence when exposed to shortwave ultraviolet light and presents a range of colors in natural light, often found in fibrous and vibrant apple-green forms. Troostite, a variant of willemite, features partial replacement of zinc with manganese and is typically found in solid brown formations.

This mineral was first identified in 1829 at the Vieille-Montagne mine in Belgium, where Armand Lévy received samples from a university student. He named the mineral in honor of the self-proclaimed king Willem I of the Netherlands, although it is sometimes referred to as villemite. 

This specimen displays several habitats of Willemite and most likely also Franklinite.

Two pictures are taken under long-wave UV. No fluorescence here, which is a confirmation of its origin as most mimetite from this origin is not fluorescent.