Hubeite (incredibly rare) on Quartz

Item Description

A wonderful specimen of Hubeite from the Fengjiashan Mine (Daye Copper Mine) in Hubei, China. Hubeite is a very rare calcium manganese iron silicate, and the entry on mindat.org say that it is found in only two places in the world. It was named in 2001 after the Hubei Province in China (the location of the type locality). This piece is features dozens if not hundreds of individual crystals of rich golden-brown colored Hubeite, sitting on prismatic hexagonal white Quartz crystals along with rhombic white Calcite crystals, creating a very showy display specimen.  A tiny bit of Pyrite is visible on the piece as well.  The piece is crystallized all over, and is nearly a complete "floater", though it's slightly rough in one small spot where it was removed from the pocket wall. If you collect rarities or minerals from the type locality, don't miss out on this one. I would value it around $1,200 in today's market for the size and quality. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #18132CL, and the catalogue entry for the piece states that it was exported from China and imported into the United States by The Rocksmiths, and was purchased by Chet on February 8, 2001 (TGMS Show). 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.