Hematite (superb thumbnail) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

If you ever have a chance, take a look on mindat.org at the unique Hematite crystals from Mt Calvario. There are some stellar micro crystals with the most unusual morphologies, some of them look artificial or even "melted" in terms of their odd shape, but they are completely natural and some of the most unique examples of the species out there. With that said, this piece is a superbly well-crystallized and highly aesthetic thumbnail from this famous locality at Biancavilla, near Mt Etna. Several razor-sharp, highly splendent, bright, metallic, silvery-grey colored blades of Hematite measuring up to 1.1 cm are intergrown to form a three-dimensional and eye-catching competition quality thumbnail. The piece is crystallized on all sides, and I cannot find any major damage anywhere, perhaps a few tiny Wilbers, but otherwise it's in superb condition. Typically, we only see isolated flattened blades from this locality or small compact "rosettes", but this piece has outstanding form with free branching crystals are an overall presence that is rarely seen in Hematites from this locality as far as display specimens go. You would be hard pressed to find another thumbnail of this quality and style from this locality, so do not miss out. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#11197). 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.