Specular Hematite

Sample of steel-grey Specular Hematite with a metallic lustre. Hematite (Fe2O3) can be steel-grey, red, reddish brown or black in colour. Lustre is metallic and streak is dark red, cherry-red or brownish red. Hardness is 5 to 6. Hematite usually occurs as thick to thin tabular, often as subparallel growths or rosettes that are striated. Hematite can also be compact, granular, radiated, reniform, botryoidal, columnar, micaceous (Specular) or earthy (Red Ocher).