Chrysotile (rare locality specimen) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

A really unique specimen from the little known Vaalkop Dam locality in South Africa. This is the first and only example of Chrysotile that I've seen from this locale, and would make for a great addition to any collection of South African minerals. The piece features 4 cm thick, parallel-fiber vein of golden-brown to bluish and greenish Chrysotile fibers on greenish opaque Serpentine matrix. The Chrysotile exhibits a superb chatoyant "cat's eye" effect when rotated in reflected light, but with strong backlighting, you can see a vivid honey-golden hue internally. A gorgeous and unusual specimen! From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #22701CL. 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.