Babingtonite on Prehnite

Item Description

These beautiful and classic specimens date back to the early 2000s. This discovery yielded what are certainly among the finest examples of Babingtonite ever found. Very little of this material is available on the market now, as nothing new has been found in years. This attractive small cabinet features a well-formed, fairly thick, jet-black Babingtonite crystal with sharp faces and moderate luster measuring 3.1 cm sitting botryoidal, translucent, soft green colored Prehnite on matrix. The front/top side of the specimen is in great condition, but the back side is contacted where the piece was removed from the pocket wall. A showy display specimen of this lovely and now seldom-seen material. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #23171CL. 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.