Fluorite (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

Originally, this specimen was marked as coming from a place called "Jilova" in the Czech Republic in Chet's collection catalogue, and several members of our bidding community let us know that the correct spelling for the locality is "Jilove", so thanks to all of you for helping us out and getting this right. With that said, this piece is a beautiful showy cabinet display specimen featuring a full coverage of nearly colorless stacked / "built up" cubic crystals of Fluorite measuring up to 2.1 cm on edge, which have an eye-catching dusting of reddish-brown iron oxide, creating a pinkish hue to the Fluorite crystals. The reverse side of the specimen features a coverage of smaller Fluorite crystals of a higher transparency than the front. Most of the crystals are in excellent condition on both sides of the piece. I really love this piece for its size, composition and visceral beauty. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #9045CL. 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.