Hematite is one of the earliest minerals used by humans. Also one of the most widespread minerals on Earth, it is found almost everywhere. But good crystals can only be found in endogenous hydrothermal deposits. It is produced in far less volume than the equally extensive crystalline calcite.
The lamellar crystals aggregated into rose-shaped clusters are the most popular among collectors, and are called “iron roses”. The famous producers of iron roses are Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Brazil. Thin slices of hematite in China sometimes form a rosette shape, coexisting with crystals, representing Chinese characteristics.
There are very few hematite crystals that are truly red, and the vast majority of crystals are black, which does not live up to the name. The reason for this name is that this ferric oxide mineral is ground into powder or scratches are red.
Unique Hematite
Hematite belongs to the trigonal crystal system, and the crystals can be in the form of hexagonal flakes, hexagonal columns and various aggregations between them. Among them, the flaky and shiny ones are also called mirror iron ore. Some Shiyou often regard hematite and mirror iron ore as two minerals.
Hematite belongs to the trigonal crystal system, and the crystals can be in the form of hexagonal flakes, hexagonal columns and various aggregations between them. Among them, the flaky and shiny ones are also called mirror iron ore. Some Shiyou often regard hematite and mirror iron ore as two minerals.
The light refractive index of hematite is extremely high among all minerals, second only to cinnabar. In theory, it is the highest among minerals with metallic luster. Please watch the luster of South African hematite in the picture below, it is as bright as a mirror, it should be said that this is a good reflection effect in nature, if you look at the sun, do not look at each other
Hematite crystals of different crystal forms, although they have different shapes, follow a common growth law.
My country’s hematite specimens are more active in the Tibetan world and in the market are flake aggregates produced in Guangdong, which sometimes form perfect small rosette structures, and sometimes aggregate into spheres. The flakes of Guangdong hematite are fragile and fragile, and the overall quality is not excellent, but it often coexists with coarse crystals (especially red crystals), which is its advantage. Appreciating Guangdong hematite should pay attention to the overall shape, followed by the structure of the iron sheet. , roses are preferred, spherical or ordered ones are also good.
There are also some crystal forms that are beyond the scope of common sense and our imagination. For example,the crystals of hematite develop into needles, which are parallel to each other at an angle of 60 degrees, and are wrapped by the later crystallized quartz. It forms an ice crystal snowflake-like shape, which is a very poetic ornamental treasure. As the saying goes: the body of iron bone, strength and gracefulness go hand in hand!
The black hematite platelets are symbiotic with neat brookite, such as a gold border, with strong color contrast, showing a deep and enthusiastic visual effect, which is very beautiful. What is the reason for the brookite to gather around the hematite just right? It contains many fascinating metallogenic mechanisms.
The single crystal of hematite is like a book of heaven and a rune. The texture pattern on it shows a lot of information about nature, which can be deciphered by collectors and experts. It must be a difficult but very interesting thing. .
The crystal in frame 4 is one of the most exotic ore crystals I’ve ever seen. It is the standard hexagonal platelet crystal form of hematite, but it only has a frame, and the middle is empty! This frame is a clever connection of six needle-shaped single crystals? Or did the lamellae only develop borders (as in the growth mechanism of bone crystals)? Or is the lamellar crystal eroded by the later environment? It is puzzling that this is still an issue worth exploring.
The first frame of the picture below is a hematite crystal surrounded by corundum crystals; the second frame is Brazilian hematite, which is symbiotic with rutile. Note: Rutile is dominated by the crystallization mode of hematite, and grows into a radial shape with a 60-degree angle, just like the light projected from hematite. This also reflects their simultaneous crystallization, with rutile subordinate to hematite. This is a famous breed from Brazil.
The illusion is mostly magnetite crystal form in hematite. The first picture is the hematite with the illusion of magnetite in the shape of a square bipyramid; the second picture is the hematite with the illusion of marcasite, which is very rare. This look is amazing too! Made in Egypt. The third picture is a strange cluster of hematite.
Hematite’s weakness is color, while shape and luster are its strengths. The hematite in this post is either beautiful or strange, showing us the magical realm of an ordinary mineral, making us admire the justice of nature’s creation, making up for the shortcomings here and making everything good!
Finally
In addition to collecting beautiful hematite, we can also choose to wear hematite jewelry, including hematite rings and rainbow hematite rings.