"Hematite" comes from the ancient Greek for blood. The stone creates red dust when cut and polished. The red color isn't always visible at first. On processing or grinding, the stone bleeds red dust. Hematite is the pigment responsible for the wide range of ocher colors.
Some hematite is magnetic, but not in natural form. Its partner magnetite is a magnetic ore. Magnetism is a feature of synthetic hematite, which is often hard and shiny. These stones make lovely fridge magnets.
Hematite is over 70% iron. It forms in a range of hardness, some more amiable to grinding. Mineral hematite can be harder than glass, while earthy hematite is the softer rock most often used in prehistoric cave painting. Earthy hematite can be scratched with (most) fingernails.
Some true hematite fractures more easily than other types. True hematite always leaves a red or reddish brown streak. Spiritually, hematite enhances personal magnetism, optimism, courage, blocks harmful energy. It connects to grounding and the Root Chakra.
The magic of hematite turns negatives into positives. When polished the mineral stone casts a warm metallic grow. When ground the earth stoneproduces a rich red color beloved by artists.
On the Mohs hardness scale mineral hematite comes in at 5.5 - 6.5, the same hardness as glass. It can be carved and is popular in ancient cylinder seals. Softer hematite is easier to grind as an artist's pigment, with red ocher topping the list.
Although hard, hematite is brittle like a diamond (Mohs 10). Due to their brittleness both stones will shatter into pieces if struck by a hammer. For hematite, this makes it easer to reduce into smaller pieces and finally powder. Shattered diamonds make good abrasives.
Red ochre clay is colored by hematite iron oxide, varying between 20% and 70%. Red ochre contains unhydrated hematite. Yellow ochre contains also uses hematite, but hydrated. The principal use of ochre is for tinting with a permanent color.
The red chalk drawings of hematite are among the earliest in human history. Powdered hematite is first used up to 164,000 years ago. Residues of hematite are found in graves up to 80,000 years old.
Hematite naturally occurs in black to steel or silver-gray, brown to reddish-brown, or red colors. As an important ore mineral of iron it's mined throughout history. It has good electric conductivity and is as popular today as ever.
Prized for pigment since the time of early humans, hematite is consistently used throughout time. It's the basis for red, purple and brown iron-oxide pigments and a significant component of ochre, sienna and umber pigments.
In Poland and Hungary red chalk mines from 5000 BCE are found, attributed to the Linear Pottery culture at the Upper Rhine c. 5500 - 4500 BCE. Specular hematite (above) is a rarer form. Unique rocks appear near the world's oldest coal mine, c. 43,000 BCE in Africa.
Hematite is harder than pure iron, but also more brittle. Large hematite deposits are often in in banded iron formations. Gray hematite occurs in places of still, standing water or mineral hot springs, such as those in Yellowstone National Park in North America.
The mineral can precipitate in the water and collect in layers at the bottom of the lake, spring, or other standing water. Hematite can also occur in the absence of water, usually as the result of volcanic activity.
Hematite occurs in tailings (waste material) of iron mines. A recent process, magnetation, uses magnets to extract waste hematite from old mine tailings in Minnesota's vast Mesabi Range iron district.
See also:
Falu(n) red as pigment is a local development from old mining operations in the area of Falun, Sweden. When tailings or waste are heated or otherwise processed they create a deep rich red used in Swedish house paint.
Certain types of hematite- or iron-oxide-rich clay, especially Armenian bole, have been used in gilding. It also has wellness properties and is considered one of the medicinal clays along with Levantine bole.
Historically, the term bolu or bolus is applied to medicinal earths. Armenian bole is used as an astringent, as it absorbs skin oils. It's also considered effective in treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, and wound bleeding.
Externally, bolu is used in strengthening plasters applied to the joints. Physicians also call it Rubrica Synopica, from the city of Synope (Sinope, Sinop), where it is purveyed. Sinope is the northernmost point of the southern Black Sea coast.
Hematite comes in different forms such as kidney ore, martite (pseudomorphs that resemble magnetite), iron rose, and specularite (specular hematite). Despite their variations, all these types exhibit a rust-red streak. Mineral hematite harder than pure iron but also very brittle.
Mineral hematite is a favorite of cylinder seal makers, due to its weight, luster and superior carvability. As a gemstone hematite is beautiful in cabochon form but rarely faceted due to its unreliable structure.
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