Hematite

Hematite, also spelt haematite, is a common iron oxide mineral and one of the chief ores of iron. It ranges from black and steel- or silver-grey to brown and red, yet always leaves a rust-red streak, and its name comes from the Greek word for blood. Polished, it is a heavy, shiny, metallic stone, shaped into beads, tumbled stones and other jewellery, and it was once worn as mourning jewellery; Cunningham mentions Italian necklaces of it sold as 'volcano spit'. Ground fine, it has coloured paint since the earliest human art, and red ochre owes its colour to it. Cunningham warns that most of what older books say about 'hematite' really concerns the stone now called bloodstone, and that genuine lore for this stone is scarce. He uses it for grounding, for drawing illness out of the body, and for scrying by gazing at a candle flame reflected on its surface. Hall likewise stresses grounding and protection, and adds confidence, willpower, memory and concentration, help in legal situations, and a close link with the blood.