Gem library
Hematite
Black iron with a blood-red streak
Hematite is the planet's main iron ore and one of the first minerals used by humanity: the red ochre of cave paintings is hematite. Black and metallic in mass, it always reveals a blood-red streak on porcelain.
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 5.5 – 6.5
- Density
- 5.12 – 5.30
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Refractive index
- Opaque (2.94 – 3.22 measured)
- Cleavage
- None
Mineralogical identity
- Family
- Oxides
- Species
- Hematite
- Variety
- Specularite, iron rose, sanguine, iron eye
- Chemical formula
- Fe₂O₃
- Crystal system
- Trigonal (rhombohedral)
- Classification
- Collector's mineral · ornamental stone
- Rarity
- Very common
- Indicative price
- €0.10 – 2/ct
Etymology
From the Greek haima, blood: powdered or rubbed on porcelain, hematite gives a characteristic blood red.
Physical & optical properties
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 5.5 – 6.5
- Density
- 5.12 – 5.30
- Refractive index
- Opaque (2.94 – 3.22 measured)
- Birefringence
- 0.280
- Cleavage
- None
- Fracture
- Splintery to conchoidal
- Lustre
- Metallic to dull
- Diaphaneity
- Opaque
- UV fluorescence
- None
- Pleochroism
- None
- Colours
- steel grey, black, red as powder
Formation, geology & history
A pigment 100,000 years old
Powdered hematite gives red ochre, humanity's oldest pigment: traces of its use appear at Blombos in South Africa more than 100,000 years ago, and it colours the paintings of Lascaux, Altamira and Chauvet. Palaeolithic burials are dusted with ochre, which makes it also the first documented material of symbolic use. The Romans called it sanguine and made a drawing crayon from it — the red chalk of Renaissance draughtsmen, from the same mineral. Its red streak on unglazed porcelain is the most reliable and spectacular field identification test in all mineralogy.
Forms and varieties
Hematite appears in deceptively different guises. Specularite consists of plates as bright as mirrors. The iron rose, a speciality of the Alps and Brazil, forms rosettes of circular plates of remarkable elegance. Kidney ore draws botryoidal brown-red masses with a mammillated surface. Iron eye combines hematite and quartz in a grey shimmer. Sanguine, earthy, is the pigment. Finally martite is magnetite converted to hematite while keeping its octahedral shape.
Beware of hematine
The magnetic beads and pendants sold as hematite are almost never hematite: hematite is only very weakly magnetic, barely detectable. Strongly magnetised objects are hematine, also called magneto-hematite or hemalyke, an artificial sintered material based on iron oxides. This is not necessarily a swindle — the material is stable and attractive — but the name is misleading. Simple test: genuine hematite does not attract a paperclip.
How to recognise it
- Blood-red streakRub the stone on an unglazed porcelain tile (the back of a floor tile works): the streak is brick to blood red, even on black shiny specimens. An infallible test.
- Very high density5.1 to 5.3: hematite feels surprisingly heavy in the hand, almost like metal.
- Little or no magnetismA magnet barely attracts it. If your «hematite» sticks to a magnet, it is artificial hematine or magnetite.
Imitations, treatments & confusions
- Hematine (magnetic hematite)Artificial sintered material, strongly magnetised, in perfectly regular shapes. Sold en masse as beads and bracelets under the name hematite.
- MagnetiteA close natural mineral but strongly magnetic and with a black, not red, streak. That streak difference is the decisive discriminator.
- Glass and chromed metalVery shiny, light beads are often metallised glass or chromed plastic. The weight and streak tests settle it.
Deposits & origins
Brazil (Minas Gerais — the finest iron roses), England (Cumbria: kidney ore), Italy (Elba), Switzerland (Alpine iron roses), China, Ukraine, United States (Michigan, Minnesota — iron ore)
Care & precautions
- Brief rinsing and immediate drying: hematite rusts at the surface if moisture lingers.
- No salt or acids, which attack the iron oxide and dull the mirror polish.
- No ultrasonic cleaning on pieces with lamellar or botryoidal structure, which can delaminate.
- A soft dry cloth maintains the metallic lustre; fingerprints show badly on polished surfaces.
Traditions & crystal healing
- Chakras
- Root
- Zodiac signs
- Aries · Scorpio · Capricorn
- Element
- Earth · Fire
The grounding stone par excellence in tradition, linked to blood and physical vitality: it is credited with bringing you back to the concrete, supporting endurance and closing off excess sensitivity. Its prehistoric funerary use as red ochre makes it one of the most anciently meaningful stones.
The virtues described here belong to tradition and cultural heritage. They are in no way medical advice and never replace a consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Is my hematite genuine if it is magnetic?
No. True hematite is barely magnetic. Strongly magnetised beads are hematine, an artificial sintered material — stable and attractive, but not hematite.
How do I identify hematite for certain?
The streak on porcelain: brick to blood red, even for a shiny black specimen. Combine with very high density and the absence of magnetism.
Hematite or magnetite?
The streak settles it: red for hematite, black for magnetite. And magnetite is strongly attracted by a magnet, which hematite is not.