Hematite ("iron rose") (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

This piece came labeled as coming from "Itibiara", which is most likely Itumbiara, but I can't find any examples of Hematite "roses" from this area. These relatively rare hematite "roses" are best-known from Brazil and the Alps. This thick one is in good shape overall, with a but of a superficial roughness around the edges. Looked at from the edge, you can see that it consists of many separate platy crystals pressed together. The crystal faces have a superb metallic sheen to them. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#2281). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).