Hematite (excellent quality) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

Hematite crystals from Brumado can be hit or miss in terms of quality. I've seen material that would rival top "Swiss quality" crystals, and even some beautiful "rosettes", but the crystals are almost always thin / platy in habit. This specimen however is not only superb quality for the locality and the species, but it's notably THICK to boot. This gorgeous miniature is a stout, very well-formed, sharp, lustrous, splendent, silvery-grey metallic crystal of Hematite with no matrix (just a small amount of attached Magnesite on the bottom). The left side of the crystal might appear damaged as first glance, but it's actually completely crystallized with a beautiful textured patterning on the surface, making for a stark contrast against the broad, smooth, brilliant faces on the opposite side of the piece. The crystal is complete all around, and with the exception of one small nick on the lower back corner, there is no major damage outside of the base where it was removed from the pocket wall. It is one of the best examples of Hematite from this locality that we've had to offer in a while, as the contrasting crystallizations along with the fantastic quality make it not only unique, but really attractive. I would value this one around $1,500 in the inventory as it is not only special, but I doubt highly that one would find another like it from this famous locality in Bahia. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#11644). Kay was a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics. She nearly lived 100 years from April 1920 - March 2020. See the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record ( https://www.mineralogicalrecord.com/pdfs/Kay%20Robertson%20Collection.pdf ), and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017.