Spessartine Garnet on Microcline

Item Description

These beautiful Spessartines represent some of the finest display quality Garnet specimens from any world locality in the last 20+ years, and are certainly are some of the most attractive and highly displayable specimens to come out of China. This particular piece features very lustrous, rich orange color trapezohedra measuring up to 5 mm associated with minor Smoky Quartz sitting on white Microcline matrix. The color in the Spessartine crystals is very attractive, and they are not at all dull or pitted. This material is now quite difficult to find on the market, as the discovery dates back to 1998, and nothing now is coming out of the ground. Keep in mind that there are only a few worldwide localities that produce this color of Spessartine in fine specimens. Euhedral, gemmy orange Spessartine crystals on matrix are NOT easy to find from any locality, so don't pass this one up. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #16415CL. 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.