Hematite (var: Martite)

Item Description

Martite was at one time classified as a valid species, but it the term is now used to describe pseudomorphs of Hematite replacing Magnetite. It should be noted that both of these minerals are iron oxides, but these particular pseudomorphs form as a result of the increasing fugacity of oxygen in the environment in which they form. The specimens from the Twin Peaks Prospect in Utah are among the best known examples of the material ever found. This piece features dozens of sharp, well-formed, metallic, silvery-black octahedral crystals measuring up to 9 mm across on matrix . There are some little nicks, but it's still fairly good quality all around. The piece was collected in the 1970s.
From the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman, the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".