Astrophyllite (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

A hard to find specimen from this specific locality featuring attractive radial "fan"-like "sprays" composed of dozens of lustrous, sub-metallic, golden-bronze colored Astrophyllite crystals measuring up to 3.2 cm with minor Quartz and Ilmenite sitting atop alkaline granite pegmatite matrix. I've only seen a select few pieces from the Rova Astrophyllite locality, and this is arguably the best one we've ever had to offer. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #20240CL. 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.