Fluorite

Item Description

A classic example of these easily recognizable Fluorites from the Akchatau Mine in Kazakhstan. This miniature sized specimen hosts a few well-formed cuboctahedral crystals of Fluorite with a textured surface, and no matrix. The color is VERY dark purple, virtually black in most areas, but with strong backlighting, you can get a bit of the purple color to show through the edges. Very hard to find on the market today. This particular piece dates back to the 1990s era of mining at Akchatau.
From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #18907CL. The piece was originally from the collection of Dan Serebrakian. 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.