Aquamarine with Muscovite (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

A wonderful example of the old-time Aquamarine specimens that came out of Pakistan decades ago. These pieces were actually originally sold as coming from Afghanistan (this particular specimen was purchased in 1991), but they're truly from Chumar Bakhoor in Pakistan. This attractive and showy cabinet piece features sharp, glassy, translucent, silvery blue color, hexagonal prismatic crystals of Aquamarine which are associated with beautiful bladed groups of silvery Muscovite. The largest Aquamarine crystal measures 8.6 cm. Some of the Aquas are contacted, so the piece isn't damage free, but several crystals are in fairly good condition, and many of them are doubly-terminated. Classic material from Chumar Bakhoor. Priced at $1,800 in the inventory. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #1826CL. 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. This specimen was valued at $1,500 retail for reference.