Amethyst (GEMMY crystals) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

A beautiful group of razor-sharp, highly lustrous, textbook, GEMMY, soft purple to smoky colored Amethyst / Quartz crystals measuring up to 2.1 cm long elegant sit atop the underlying iron-coated matrix to create a very showy and aesthetic miniature sized display specimen. The famous Reel Mine in North Carolina has produced some iconic specimens of Amethyst over the years, comparable to the equally beautiful specimens from other southern US locations like Jacksons Crossroads in Georgia or Due West, South Carolina. The main crystals on this specimen are all in excellent condition, though I can see one of the smaller crystals is contacted on the termination. The main crystal on this piece is a JEWEL with excellent internal gemminess and highly reflective, textbook crystal faces. Valued at $700. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #2810CL. The collection catalogue for this specimen states that it was "A former Kraissl collection specimen." Chet was born 1947 in started collecting minerals circa 1957. He worked briefly as a drill runner at the famous Sterling Mine, in Ogdensburg, New Jersey and from 1987 to 1990 he helped convert the mine into a public access mining museum. He has held the role of treasurer, vice president and president of the Franklin-Ogdensburg Mineralogical Society (FOMS), and has been a board member and vice president of the Franklin Mineral Museum. The rare copper arsenate, Lemanskiite was named in his honor in 1999.