Hematite

“What a whopper” comes to mind lifting this good-size cabinet specimen of botryoidal Hematite, of the variety Kidney Ore.  This is known to originate from the West Cumberland Iron Ore Field, Cumberland being the former county name for part of what is now named Cumbria.  As is often the case, specimens were not attributed specific mine names during a time when a record of the general mining district was considered adequate.  This is a heavy and solid hematite specimen, dominated by two intergrown, adjacent botryoidal mounds the larger being approximately 6 to 7 cm in diameter.  Seven centimetres does not sound that large, but when you see it, well, it is a “whopper”!  The Hematite is metallic black with a patchy brick-red patina and subdued satin lustre.  Beneath the specimen, the fibrous, radial Hematite structure is exposed around the edges.  Within this perimeter, small, concave mamillary casts surround an inner core of banded nodular hematite.  A west Cumbrian classic, and one which may incur a little additional postage cost due to its weight rather than its size.