Hematite var Specularite

Hematite – Fe2O3
Elements: Iron, Oxygen
Class: Oxides
Crystal System: Hexagonal
Hardness: 5-6
Orthoclase
Talc (1)Diamond (10)
About as hard as a steel knife blade.
Specularite – Fe2O3
Elements: Iron, Oxygen
Class: Oxides – Hematite Group
Crystal System: Trigonal
Hardness: 5.5-6.5
Orthoclase
Talc (1)Diamond (10)
Scratches glass. Harder than a steel knife.
Origin: Mt Vesuvius, Naples – Italy
Did you know?

Hematite is named from the Greek for blood, and it keeps the secret well: a silvery or black specimen, scratched or powdered, leaves a vivid blood-red streak.

Specularite is named from the Latin for mirror. It is hematite grown in flat micaceous flakes, thousands of tiny mirrors that make the stone glitter like silver, though its powder is still rust red.