Grossular Garnet with Diopside (classic material) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

Some of the most recognizable Garnet specimens from any US locality are those from what most people refer to as Eden Mills. The proper name for the locality is the Belvidere Mountain Quarries, which lies on both sides of the Orleans & Lamoille County line in Vermont. The gorgeous color of the Grossular Garnets are captivating, and they are often found with beautifully contrasting green Diopside, as is the case with this specimen. Several sharp, well-formed, lustrous, gemmy, rich orange-red colored dodecahedral crystals of Grossular measuring up to 1.0 cm are intergrown with mossy green Diopside matrix. I can't see any real damage to the Garnets, though they do have some interrupted growth where they were intergrown with the Diopside. When backlit, the Grossulars GLOW with color. These are true New England classics, beloved by collectors and nearly impossible to find in today's market. Valued at $900-$1200. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #2168CL. The collection catalogue for this specimen states that it was "A former Kraissl collection specimen." 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.