Hematite with epitaxial Rutile

Item Description

When it comes to Hematite/Rutile combos from Brazil, most people think of the fantastic pieces from Novo Horizonte, but THIS piece is actually from Ouro Preto, a locality best known for its famed Imperial Topaz crystals. This piece is a showy and three-dimensional display specimen filled with tabular blades of mirror-bright, metallic, steel-grey colored Hematite measuring up to 3.3 cm across, which have minor epitaxial overgrowths of bright golden metallic Rutile "needles" on select faces. Now the piece is not 100% damage-free, as some of the Hematites are broken, but the piece is still eye-catching and good quality all around. You don't see many Hematites with such reflective faces like this piece, and the gorgeous little Rutile crystals really stand out and a create a wonderful contrast. From the collection of Vasco Trancoso, a medical doctor and prominent mineral collector from near Lisbon, Portugal (https://www.mindat.org/user-11954.html). He assembled his mineral collection over the course of 60 years, and built a fine worldwide display collection that we recently purchased. This piece is pictured on mindat.org at https://www.mindat.org/photo-206860.html