Artinite (great quality) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

A beautiful specimen of the rare hydrated magnesium carbonate Artinite from what is considered to be the best locality for the species. The morphology of the crystals is unusual for a carbonate species, and they are strangely acicular, and certainly resemble members of the zeolite group such as mesolite or scolecite. This is a very fine and classic specimen from the famous Artinite Pit locality featuring numerous, intergrown radiating aggregates comprising sparkling, white, delicate, "fuzzy", acicular crystals on a very thin slab matrix. A very good quality and showy specimen of this rare material. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #0779CL. 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.