Hematite

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A bizarre growth of nature, these strange hematite formations come from just a few of the world's many iron mining districts. This is a particularly elegant example in a good size that shows radial divergent character of the satiny lustered hematite. It originates from the historic iron mines on the Marquette Iron Range in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This style was often called "horse teeth" by the old English miners who first found them in Cumberland's iron mines in the 1700s, and 1800s. Today, such specimens are quite rare from any locality. Obviously, as the main ore they were working, most were simply smelted. Specimens like this were often kept by miners as souvenirs for their interesting shape. This is a rare survivor from Michigan.