Azurite (rare Spanish locality)

Item Description

I can only recall seeing a select few Azurites from this Spanish locality over the years. This piece is certainly a rare locality specimen from the La Estrella Mine in Castile-La Mancha. Mining at this locality dates back to the 1600s, and peak production took place in the mid 1800s. You would be hard-pressed to find any display quality specimens from this locality on the market, and this particular piece is the best Azurite we've ever had to offer from this old copper mine. The piece features a coverage of deep blue color, micro crystallized Azurite sitting atop contrasting pale beige rhyolite matrix. The Azurite grades into lighter shades of blue, creating a pleasing mixture of cool colors. A wonderful old-time specimen that you likely will not find anywhere else, these kind of specimens are only found in old collections, so don't miss out.
From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #21687CL. 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.