Hematite and Rutile (rough and cut set)

Item Description

The famed Cavradischlucht (Cavradi Gorge) in Switzerland is one of the most well-known localities for Hematite in the world. The beautiful and fine quality metallic crystals are often associated with gemmy, blood red Rutile, and they have been staples of collections around the world for many years. We present here a somewhat unusual multi-piece set featuring five crystallized specimens and one faceted stone. Three of the specimens feature metallic bladed grey-black Hematite crystals with classic overgrowths of gemmy red epitaxial Rutile, while two of the specimens feature crystallized Rutile (one of them is an EXCELLENT fiery red "heart-shaped"-twin) and the last item in the lot is arguably the most interesting as it is a 4.34 carat faceted stone of Rutile, measuring 12.76 mm x 7.67 mm. It's incredibly rare to find faceted Rutile gems from the Swiss Alps, and while the gemstone in this set does have a nick on one of the edges, it is the only example we've ever seen from this locality. I would have loved to have seen the crystal from which this stone was cut, because the Rutiles from Cavradi typically aren't very big, so a crystal that yielded a 4.34 carat gem must have been a whopper. The Hematites in this set are all nice for what they are, but Honestly, the Rutiles are of much more interest to me personally, as the "heart" twin is very good quality and big for the locality, and would make a great addition to any thumbnail suite, or a collection of twinned crystals or Rutiles, and then you throw in a 4+ carat faceted stone, and you have something that I can't recall ever seeing from anywhere in the Swiss Alps. Enjoy! This set comes to us from the legendary Ron Romanella (February 28, 1932 - October 24, 2022), a well-known gem and mineral dealer from New York City. He studied mineralogy at Columbia School of Mines, and he was mentored by Dr. Frederick Pough of the American Museum of Natural History, and learned about the business side from well-known mineral dealers Hugh Ford and Maurice Hammoneau. Ron himself was a mentor to other successful East Coast mineral dealers such as Larry Conklin, Herb Obodda and even employed Dave Wilber for a time. He largely transitioned out of selling minerals as his business focused more on gems for the last few decades, and his sons Michael and Jerry have been running the family business in Scottsdale for many years now. With that said, Ron was one of the great powerhouse mineral dealers in the US for many years, offering fine quality specimens and gem crystals from classic and contemporary localities. Among his top achievements, is that Ron is credited with importing the first known crystals of Tanzanite into the US in the 1960s.