Stellerite (good quality) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

Most people don't know how fine the quality of the numerous zeolites and associated species from the various quarries in the Watchung Mountains actually can be. The Braen's Quarry was for many years seldom collected locality, but in the early 2000s some daring individuals made their way into the quarry to collect some very attractive Stilbite and Stellerite specimens. I've seen some very beautiful, "cream" colored Stilbite "spheres" from this locality, but the Stellerite specimens are much better when it comes to quality. The majority of Stellerite found around the world is opaque, and rarely gemmy, let alone gem quality. This particular piece features excellent, lustrous, gemmy, colorless, "jelly"-like, sphere-shaped radiating aggregates of Stellerite measuring up to 5 mm on matrix It is incredibly rare to find GEM quality STELLERITE from any locality, as most specimens are completely opaque ! This is a very good quality large miniature / small cabinet size specimen of an uncommon zeolite. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #20615CL. 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.