Hematite with Rutile

specimen number:
8311194

location:
Cavradi Gorge, Grisons, Switzerland

description:
Classic Alpine specimen consisting of a cluster of bright lustrous metallic platy hematite crystals, these hosting epitaxial small deep red crystals of rutile classic for the locality. The crystals show somewhat of an iridescence.

The Cavradi Gorge in Switzerland is a well known alpine mineral locality that has attracted collectors for its distinctive hematite specimens, particularly those associated with epitaxial rutile. Collecting in this rugged area has traditionally been carried out by skilled local collectors who work steep slopes and fractures in metamorphic rock to recover specimens. The hematite often forms as lustrous, metallic crystals, while rutile occurs as fine golden needles attached to or intergrown with the hematite. In some cases, the rutile crystals grow in a specific and consistent orientation on the hematite, a relationship known as epitaxy. Epitaxy refers to the ordered growth of one mineral on the surface of another, where the crystal structure of the underlying mineral controls the orientation of the overgrowing mineral. Specimens from Cavradi Gorge showing hematite with epitaxial rutile are highly prized for both their aesthetic appeal and their demonstration of this precise crystallographic relationship.

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