Almandine Garnet

Item Description

This piece is simply labeled as coming from "Norway", and considering there are multiple localities that produce Almandine crystals on schist, it's hard to say specifically where this one was found. If anybody out there can give us some insight as to the specific origin of this specimen, please let us know. The piece features a couple euhedral, sharp, dodecahedral crystals of dark reddish-black Almandine Garnet measuring up to 2.0 cm on a silvery schist matrix. Minor roughness can be seen on the Garnets, but they are largely in good condition. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #2116CL. 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.