Almandine Garnet (classic material)

Item Description

A classic example from Wrangell Island, one of the most iconic mineral localities in Alaska.  This locality lies in the far southeastern part of the state, and for many years was the source of some of the most iconic Garnets from any world locality.  Not only are these Almandine specimens well-known among collectors, (you can find them in countless old collections and museums around the world), but they are now high in demand since very little material has been collected over the last few decades.  They seemed to have all but disappeared from the market in recent years.  They are nearly as red as any species of Garnet gets, and they are often feature good sized crystals on slivery-grey Biotite matrix.  This specimen hosts a few well-formed, dodecahedral crystals (with trapezohedral modifications) which are aesthetically perched atop the contrasting, almost metallic schist matrix. One of the crystals is contacted, but the other two are in very good condition. A beautiful and displayable specimen of this famous material.  You almost never see these pieces on the market, and there are ZERO repairs, which is significant, and these crystals can sometimes "pop" out of the matrix (you can actually see one of the holes on this piece were a Garnet crystal once sat), so it's nice to see a cabinet sized example like this in good shape. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #2117CL, and the catalogue entry for the piece states that it was exported from China and imported into the United States by The Rocksmiths, and was purchased by Chet on February 8, 2001 (TGMS Show). 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.