Spodumene (sharp gemmy crystal) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

Some of the finest crystallized examples of gem quality Spodumene are those from Afghanistan. This is a sharp, well-formed, gemmy very soft yellow colored, prismatic, "sword"-shaped crystals of Triphane Spodumene The crystal is in fairly good condition, with a bit of roughness in spots, but it is complete all the way around. Actually if you look closely, this appears to be two individual crystals intergrown to create the illusion of just one crystal. The fact that this is a euhedral crystal and not etched makes all the difference. Very attractive and certainly worth owning if you're a fan of gem crystals, or minerals from Afghanistan. The piece comes with a label that refers to it as "Hiddenite", but this is not accurate as the color isn't correct for what it is. We had this one priced at $1,200 in our inventory. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #1967CL. 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.