Natrolite (large excellent gemmy crystal) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

While they don't get much attention worldwide, and argument can be made that the finest individual Natrolite crystal in the world are those from the famous Chimney Rock Quarry about 1 ½ miles northwest of Bound Brook. Any New Jersey trap rock collector will tell you how great these crystals are, but they were limited and didn't find their way into many collections outside of New Jersey. These crystals are well known for their large size/thickness, excellent form, and sometimes WATER-CLEAR clarity! This specimen is a wonderful cabinet sized single crystal with sharp, prismatic tetragonal form, a pyramidal termination, and wonderfully gemminess towards to upper half. You rarely seen 4-inch Natrolite crystals from any locality, let along thick GEMMY crystals like this. These pieces are significant for the species and if you're a fan of zeolites, don't pass this one up, as they are rarely available in this size and quality on the market today. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #17714CL. 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.