Elmwood Mine Specimens
The Famous Elmwood Mine is located in Carthage, Central Mining District in Smith County, Tennessee.
Nearby towns are Lebanon, Murfreesboro and Hendersonville, Tennessee. The Elmwood Mine is a zinc mine. The Zinc minerals were first discovered in 1967. The first production started in 1975. At that time, some excellent specimens of Calcite, Fluorite and Sphalerite were obtained from the miners who worked the mines. The mining company soon made exclusive arrangements to sell specimens to several mineral dealers. The prices for these specimens quickly soared. The mine shutdown many years ago and specimens became more elusive and expensive.
The mine was reopened in 2010 by Nyrstar Company who reopened the 3 major zinc mines in the Carthage, Tennessee area which includes the Elmwood, Gordonsville and Cumberland mines. The Elmwood is being operated through the Gordonsville #3 shaft and incline. The first ore from the Elmwood was hoisted in November 2010. The miners, we are told, have been informed that anyone caught bringing out collector specimens would be fired. The company has made no arrangements to sell to mineral dealers and posts the site as No Trespassing and does not allow collectors. So, what had been a prolific source of fine calcite, fluorite and sphalerite has now joined the ranks of classic localities that are closed to collecting. The result is that specimen prices are rapidly increasing.
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Beautiful Elmwood Mine Multiple Point Calcite with Minor Sphalerite 1
$120.00 Read more -
Lustrous Double Terminated Elmwood Mine Golden Calcite Cluster with Minor Sphalerite and Contact Barite 2
$156.00 Add to cart -
Very Rare Elmwood Mine Single Pale Yellow to Clear Calcite Crystal on a Sphalerite Base 3
$109.00 Read more
Item# 1 EMCPF112198432
Beautiful Specimen of Calcite Points with with Minor Purple Fluorite from the Elmwood Mine
From our collection comes this beautiful classic specimen of Elmwood Mine Calcite with minor Fluorite. The large Calcite crystals on this specimen are highly lustrous and have excellent Honey Orange coloring. This is a stunning specimen! The contrast of the Honey Orange and the Deep Purple Fluorite make this a very striking display specimen. It comes with a 3 peg display stand as shown in the photos. These photos taken with Nikon L1 Coolpix on a cloudy day...smoky mountains you know.
This beauty weighs 46.7 oz or 2.92 lbs (1.325kg) and measures 4.7 x 4.5 x 3.4 inches (11.9 x 11.3 x 8.6cm)
This specimen was hand selected as the best color and most aesthetically pleasing point available from our Elmwood Mine Mineral Dealer. This is a one of a kind collector specimen. There is some normal tip extraction damage. A very beautiful and impressive piece!
Sometimes referred to as Stellar Beam Calcite for its intriguing repetitive crystal formation, considered by some to be reminiscent of a spaceship, this stunning variety of vivid orange Calcite hails from the Elmwood mine in Tennessee. This particular specimen is well-formed and glassy, with a glittering pieces of Fluorite naturally affixed to the crystalline formation. Truly striking!
Item# EMCS07109021
Old Stock 1960's Specimen Calcite on Sphalerite from the Elmwood Mine
Old Stock 1960's Specimen Calcite on Sphalerite
From our Personal Collection comes this rare 1960's specimen of a single clear Dogtooth Calcite Crystal on shimmering Sphalerite. This specimen is from the James Smedley Collection from the "Mineral Museum" in Follansbee, West Virginia. We were very lucky when we acquired this from his daughter. The Sphalerite crystals on this specimen are highly lustrous and are colored a rich reddish-brown color. The tetragonal crystals are metallic, and very sharply formed. Colors of the Sphalerite will show more red in direct sunlight or halogen light. These photos taken with Nikon L1 Coolpix on a cloudy day...smoky mountains you know.
This specimen weighs 18.3 oz or 1.14 lbs (518g) and measures 4.6 x 2.4 x 1.9 inches (11.8 x 6.2 x 4.9cm)
Item# 55EMFQD09201572
Zoned Purple Fluorite and Quartz on Dolomite from the Elmwood Mine
From the 2020 Franklin NC Show comes this rare classic specimen of a zoned purple Fluorite crystal and Quartz on Dolomite. The crystal on this specimen is highly lustrous and colored beautiful shades of purple. It was diagonally split during extraction, leaving 2 faces. This is an excellent display specimen! These photos taken with Nikon L1 Coolpix on a cloudy day...smoky mountains you know.
This specimen weighs 4.4 oz or 0.27 lbs (126g) and measures 3.2 x 2.3 x 1.4 inches (8.1 x 5.9 x 3.5cm)
Item# 56EMCS062005501
Old Stock 1960's Specimen Calcite on Sphalerite from the Elmwood Mine
Old Stock 1960's Specimen Calcite on Sphalerite
From our Personal Collection comes this rare 1960's specimen of a single clear Dogtooth Calcite Crystal on shimmering Sphalerite. This specimen is from the James Smedley Collection from the "Mineral Museum" in Follansbee, West Virginia. We were very lucky when we acquired this from his daughter. The double terminated Calcite crystals (more than 100) look very majestic upon this solid base of Sphalerite. These photos taken outdoors in partly sunny and cloudy with a Nikon L1 Coolpix camera. These offerings from the Elmwood mine are rare and very difficult to even find any more.
This specimen weighs 31.3 oz or 1.96 lbs (889g) and measures 5.3 x 4 x 1.7 inches (13.4 x 10.3 x 4.2cm)
Item# 58EMBS09203572
Barite Snowball on Sphalerite from the Elmwood Mine
Barite Snowball on Sphalerite
This is a specimen with large Barite Snowball formation on a plate of Sphalerite from the famous Elmwood Mine which is located in Carthage, Central Mining District in Smith County, Tennessee. Nearby towns are Lebanon, Murfreesboro and Hendersonville, Tennessee. The wine colored Sphalerite plate accented by a white Barite Snowball present an excellent display. These photos taken outdoors in partly sunny and cloudy with a Nikon L1 Coolpix camera. These offerings from the Elmwood mine are rare and very difficult to even find any more.
This specimen weighs 20.4 oz or 1.27 lbs (580g) and measures 3.8 x 2.6 x 2 inches (9.7 x 6.8 x 5.1cm)