Hematite with epitaxial Rutile (classic material) (ex Bill Pinch Collection)

Item Description

Swiss Hematites are some of the finest and arguably the most iconic examples of the species extant. Considering that Hematite is found in thousands of world localities, it's remarkable that the Swiss specimens are truly the most well-known representations out there. Whenever someone mentions Alpine minerals, one inevitably thinks of Swiss Hematites. Here we have a very attractive miniature sized specimen of this world-famous material from the famous Cavradischlucht featuring superb quality, splendent, metallic, silvery-black hexagonal blades of Hematite which have formed a semi-"rosette-like" group running along the top ridge of the underlying matrix. The entire group of crystals measures 4.2 cm across, which the largest individual Hematite coming in at about 1.6 cm. I love how the Hematites have formed in a thin semi-layered group allowing them to sit beautifully atop the specimen. Like many Hematite specimens from this locality, you can see sparkling blood-red crystals of Rutile which are epitaxially overgrowing the Hematite blades. You can see a small amount of white Adularia Feldspar on the piece for a nice accent. Very little damage, the only spot I can see on the display side is a scar on the right edge of the Hematite group where a Hematite crystal(s) once grew, and I found one tiny spot on the back that appears to be a small contact. It's incredibly difficult to find good showy matrix specimens of Hematite like this, most pieces from the Cavradischlucht are off matrix, and even the matrix specimens found at not terribly showy. Lastly, and most importantly, this piece comes from the prestigious collection of William (Bill) Pinch, who recently passed away. Bill was one of the premier mineral collectors in the world, who loved all mineral species. He acquired fine specimens of some of the rarest minerals known along with world-class examples of common species from classic localities. Bill arguably could sight identify more minerals than any other collector in the world, and his keen eye and taste allowed him to assemble several impressive collections of minerals over many decades.