Staurolite (twin) (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

A classic and showy example of the well-known "X"-twinned Staurolite crystals from the famous Keivy Mountains in Russia. This cabinet sized piece hosts sharp, well-formed, dark brown colored twinned Staurolite crystals against the silvery schist matrix. These pieces are not terribly common on the market, but these are arguably some of the best examples of the species extant. The largest individual Staurolite crystal measures 6.2 cm. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection #2236CL. 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.