Sphalerite (''Ruby Jack'' crystals) (rare locality specimen) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

A rarely seen specimen of "Ruby Jack" Sphalerite from Clay Center hosting several lustrous, sharp, well-formed, gemmy, rich orange-brown colored crystals measuring up to 7 mm sitting on limestone matrix. Good quality, most of the crystals are undamaged and beautiful to view up close. While Sphalerite is not a rare mineral, you almost never see specimens from Clay Center on the market. Also, the habit of the crystals is an uncommon conical form, which is associated with this locality, but rarely seen from other Midwest locales. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #23392CL. 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.