Hematite (ex Paul Zerfass Collection)

Item Description

This piece came to us simply labeled as being from Morocco, but it's almost certainly from Nador as the habit, luster and form really can't be from anywhere else in Morocco in my mind. What separates this piece from most other Nador Hematites is the fact that it's on MATRIX, which I haven't seen very often. The specimen is loaded with very sharp, lustrous / splendent, highly metallic, rich silvery-grey colored bladed crystals of Hematite measuring up to 1.3 cm aesthetically free standing on matrix. The crystals show excellent tabular hexagonal form and the vast majority of them are damage free. They are beautiful to view up close as there are actually small modified faces along the compressed prism that sparkle like facets on a gemstone. A great overall matrix specimen of this attractive and unique material from Morocco. From the collection of the long time, beloved, well-known French field collector, Paul Zerfass (Collection #513). Zerfass built this worldwide collection over nearly 50 years, many of which were personally collected. A biography featuring specimens from his collection (along with his face on the cover) is in the May - June 2017 issue of French mineral magazine, Le Regne Mineral. We have a .pdf copy of the article for anybody interested in reading it (though it's mostly in French). Just drop us a line and know that you'd like to have a copy.