Philipsburgite on Quartz

Item Description

A wonderful specimen of the fairly uncommon copper zinc arsenate-phosphate Philipsburgite from the type locality for the species, the Black Pine Mine in Montana. The piece features beautiful emerald green Philipsburgite partially coating white prismatic hexagonal crystals of Quartz measuring up to 1.2 cm. Normally you don't see a coating of Philipsburgite like this, as the Quartz crystals range from virtually uncoated to a glowing emerald green hue. An eye-catching specimen of these classic and rarely seen pieces that were mined decades ago. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #21658L. 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.