Rutile and Hematite

Unknown Owner

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Most rutile-on-hematite specimens are rather gracile, fragile things - this is a massive, heavy specimen that features a 5-pound galena crystal as host for unusually robust, thick sprays of rutile shooting out only on oriented faces - from the sides and not from the front. The rutile is not hairy and needlelike, as are so many from here that bend when you breathe on them. It is actually robust and strong, with sharp crystals to 2 mm thick. In person, this piece has intense luster and color, it and literally jumps out at you. In photos, it just looks flat because the camera is not seeing the subtlety of the front faces the way the human eye does. Joe Budd Photos.