Benitoite with Neptunite (classic material) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

Benitoite is one of those minerals that is essentially tied to a single world locality. Although it is found in a few places around the world, nearly every collector associates it the specimens from the famous and now closed Gem Mine. This piece hosts several classic, fine quality, sharp, trigonal, beautiful blue crystals of Benitoite measuring up to 1.5 cm associated with a prismatic, very dark reddish-black Neptunite crystal measuring 1.3 cm on soft blue-grey Crossite matrix. Some of the smaller Benitoite crystals show a bit of gemminess, and they are scattered beautifully across the specimen. The largest Benitoite is incomplete due to interrupted growth from the matrix, but the rest of the crystals are all in excellent shape. These specimens are becoming incredibly hard to find now, and are highly sought after by collectors. Even though Benitoite is well-known from this locality, it's still an incredibly rare mineral worldwide. Valued at $1500. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #2509. 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.