Hematite and Rutile ps. after Ilmenite - Kragerø, Telemark, Norway

Hematite and Rutile ps. after Ilmenite

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Large and well-formed Ilmenite crystals have been known from Kragerø in Telemark, Norway for several centuries, with specimens having been sold by British dealer Henry Heuland in the early 19th century. In the 1940s it was shown that some of the Ilmenite crystals from Kragerø were entirely replaced, or pseudomorphed, by a mixture of Hematite and Rutile and that is how this fine large matrixless crystal is labelled. However, two earlier collection labels that accompany it both record 'Ilmenit'. At 3.6 cm across it is a significant size and presents great crystal faces on its upper surfaces with grooves left behind from where a presumed amphibole mineral was once present and a rough rear surface where it was once attached to matrix. It comes from the superb systematic collection assembled by the brothers Martin and Michael Günther (1951-2007 & 1956-2021)