Rutile var: Sagenite pseudomorph after Hematite (RARE)

Item Description

The famous Cavradischlucht (Cavradi Gorge) in the Swiss Alps is one of the premier localities in the world for Hematite specimens, often associated with Rutile. This piece is a rarely seen, fine quality thumbnail from this prestigious locality featuring gorgeous reddish-brown to soft sandy-golden colored needles of Rutile (variety: Sagenite) which have pseudomorph after thin bladed crystals of Hematite. The accompanying label from Kay Robertson states that the original bladed crystals were Ilmenite, but I can't find a mention of Ilmenite being found at Cavradi, so I'm going with the safer assumption that they were originally Hematite. The piece is crystallized on both sides, and the Rutile crystals look beautiful up close. Additionally, there is an added bit of rarity, as a small (1 mm±) dark golden colored crystal of Monazite-(Ce) can be seen on the back! A tiny dark brown rhomb of Siderite and single Quartz crystal can be seen on the front of the piece for a nice touch. We've photographed the piece with a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens to better illustrate the quality. A beautiful, rare and fine quality piece for anybody who collects thumbnails, rarities, pseudomorphs or specimens from the European Alps.
From the collection of Brian Kosnar, and as mentioned, originally from the collection of Kay Robertson (#10173).