This very cute tiny toenail that I managed to fish a while ago from Luca Ferrero's stock is an excellent example of this fairly uncommon and coveted Italian material that has been over the years mostly used for lapidary work due to its remarkable coloration, translucency and crisp banding. As such, good, well-preserved natural uncut specimens were quite rare at the time when the lead and zinc mine was being worked and almost impossible to find nowadays after 30 years with no new pieces. The specimen itself consists of a short and stubby creamy light yellow smithsonite speleothem capped literally by a tiny orange "beret" created by the rounded remnants of a naturally dissolved top layer. The smithsonite displays a dull waxy luster, and its zonations are clearly visible in the broken base, where concentric yellow and brown bands show up. The shape, well, you see it right? Still, though, I prefer to think of it as a tiny man with a hat.