Nakauriite (incredibly rare)

Item Description

Here we have a great piece for all you rarities collectors. This is a specimen of Nakauriite, an incredibly rare compound copper sulfate species, only found in about a dozen localities in the world. It should be noted that the entry on mindat.org states, "the originally reported sulphate content appears to be questionable according to several literature sources", so this might actually be a carbonate species, not a sulfate. The species was named after the type locality, the Nakauri Mine in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, which is exactly where this piece is from! It features attractive rich sky-blue colored micro acicular needles of Nakauriite sitting on a matrix containing dark green Serpentine. The piece is best seen under the microscope, and we've taken some micro photos to better illustrate the material. If you collect minerals from the type locality, don't miss out on picking up this hard to find piece dating back to the 1970s.

From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #1036CL. The piece was originally from the collection of Dan Serebrakian. 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.