Hematite has been used as an important ore for the production of iron and steel for several thousand years. It is though this first arose in the Near East and India during the middle Bronze Age. Hematite has also been used as a pigment in paints, and in more recent times the more attractive specimens have been sought by mineral collectors. It often occurs in botryoidal forms those are usually referred to as "kidney ores". Other forms include micaceous hematite (also known as "specularite"), which is composed of large numbers of tiny flakes, as well as Hematite Rose and Tiger Iron, both of which are named after their appearance.
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