Arguably, the most iconic mineral from the West Cumbrian iron ore field is that of Specularite or Specular Hematite, the metallic crystallised variety of the iron oxide Hematite. The Specularite found in the iron ore mines in this historic mining district of north west England is second to none. This impressive cabinet specimen is a spectacular example from Florence mine, just east of Egremont, a mine begun in 1914 and becoming the last deep iron ore mine to close in Europe in 1968. A Hematite plate some 11.5 x 15.6 cm has its upper surface entirely coated with jet-black Specularite crystals with a brilliant and sparkling metallic lustre. The individual lenticular blades are between 2 and 5 mm wide and form a complete intergrown coverage. Unusually for a specimen of this size there is very little damage to the razor-sharp crystals (just two small areas of contact), and at one end a 7 mm long terminated Quart crystal sits almost horizontally. The base provides an excellent insight into the structure of the Hematite which is of the variety Kidney Ore. The underside of the plate is a mass of concave shallow hemispheres, the underside of the botryoidal mounds beneath the Specularite above.
