Zircon (ex Chet Lemanski Collection)

Item Description

Some of the most well-known Zircon crystals from the last few decades are the famous red crystals from Astor in Pakistan. What makes these crystals so significant is the strength of the red color and the fact that they're on matrix. Most good red Zircon crystals you'll find from around the world are loose singles off matrix, and the majority of matrix specimens simply do not feature such sharp, well-formed and colorful crystals as those from Astor. This piece is a great example of this classic material featuring a pair of very sharp, highly lustrous, well-formed, tetragonal crystals measuring up to 2.2 cm on matrix. The largest Zircon crystal is actually doubly-terminated and shows a wonderful strong red hue with slight gemminess when backlit, while the smaller Zircon features an unusually white / colorless termination and a red hue along the prism. The main Zircon has a small imperfection on the back of the crystal, which the smaller Zircon is contacted in the central portion. A beautiful and eye-catching example of this wonderful material from years ago. Valued at $700-$850. From the collection of Chester ("Chet") S. Lemanski Jr. of Browns Mills, New Jersey (https://www.mindat.org/user-461.html). Collection # 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.