Hematite
Hematite (or ‘Haematite’) is a compact type of iron oxide which owes its name to the red colour of the powdered mineral, which resembles dried blood. The German name for Hematite is ‘blutstein,’ meaning bloodstone, and it has a similar derivation, but this term is confusing, for the English Bloodstone is a variety of green Chalcedony flecked with red spots of Jasper.
Hematite is found in various states of compactness, from a soft, red paint ore, which was used by early American Indians to adorn their faces before battle and continues to be used today as a pigment, to the most compact form of the mineral, which is cut for jewellery.
The easiest test for Hematite (not recommended on stones which have been set in jewellery) is to rub the edge of the stone on a streak plate (white unglazed porcelain) which, if the stone is Hematite, results in a red streak. Powdered and purified Hematite is the red polishing powder known as jeweller’s rouge.
View Hematite Jewellery at Astley Clarke