A classic combination of hematite and rutile from this rich region of iron mines, and yet different than most because it shows alternating patterning of thick hematite bands with the rutile that ingrows into the hematite - really quite unusual once you think about it and compare to others. The robust hematite zones make for a contrast of both shape and color, even though somehow this is still a hematite crystal overall, just interrupted and heavily included with rutile. All the rutiles point up as well, constrained in direction by how they inter-grow... a very unusual window into the weird processes that create minerals and crystals! It is a small miniature but a dramatic one. Includes original watercolor painting by Gamini Ratnavira, as shown in 6x6 inch custom frame (he used to do commission paintings for mineral collectors in Southern California primarily, and charged $500-750 per painting).