Hematite with epitaxial Rutile and Quartz

Item Description

A classic and eye-catching example of the famous Hematite / Rutile combinations from the world-class locality at the Cavradischlucht (Cavradi Gorge) in the Swiss Alps. These are important and historic specimens, which are some of the most iconic and eye-catching minerals from not only the Alps but any worldwide locality. This beautiful display piece features fine quality, highly lustrous (splendent), metallic silvery-grey metallic bladed crystals of hexagonal Hematite measuring up to 4.0 cm across which have an epitaxial overgrowth of very dark red Rutile along with a few colorless GEM Quartz crystals, plus minor matrix. The combination of all three minerals is unmistakable from this locality, and truly one of the most beautiful associations in the mineral world in my mind. There is a contacted edge on the side of the main Hematite crystal, but the piece overall is in good condition, and displays quite well as you can see from the video. Valued $4,000.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 3569. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jac... or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.co... for more informatio