Before leaving for his trip to hike up around Lake Superior, Reiner promised he would try to locate a vein of red rocks he had found 15 years ago. He wasn’t too optimistic about it because he had looked for it since and never been able to find it, but he would try nevertheless.
I received an email from him yesterday, and he informed me that he had been able to find the vein. The red rock (a silicified hematite) had been found roughly 2 metres below the regular water levels and was only accessible because the lake is 2 1/2 metres lower than normal this year. Reiner said that the lake hasn’t been this low in 15 years, which is why he hasn’t been able to find the vein since.
I went out at lunch to get the rocks from him and with much excitement ground up a small sample. What a beautiful colour! These pictures really don’t do the colour justice at all; the colour of the red produced is closer to a vermilion than any other. My wife said that I would have to tone down such a colour to use it, but I really can’t imagine doing that yet; the colour is too beautiful to hide.
I have been looking for a good red pigment for a couple of years now, so I really can’t express how exciting getting these rocks has been. A very special thanks to Reiner for his willingness and generosity in supplying me with such a wonderful colour.