Hematite – UK

Hematite is a popular mineral with a long history in the development of modern industry. It is a deep red mineral which exhibits a botryoidal crystal habit, this makes it look 'bubble' on its surface, for this reason, it is sometimes also known as 'kidney ore'. It has a deep red streak, as such, caution is advised when handling this specimens as it can easily stain anything it comes into contact with. Also present is a dull lustre although when cleaned it can appear shiny and metallic. Hematite is also the primary ore mineral for iron, a metal which has long since been used by humans to advance as a civilisation, and is still used today for obtaining iron and steel (when combined with corundum). for a variety of purposes. These particular samples were collected from Cumbria in the UK and are available in various sizes, they tend to show a mix of fibrous and botryiodal crystal form, each piece comes supplied in a card tray with an information label.