Enjoy hematite's deep red secret
By Bethany Waldrop Keiper

“Black spirits and white, red spirits and gray, Mingle, mingle, mingle, you that mingle may.” -- Thomas Middleton

February is a month associated with the color red, for Valentine's Day.

This might make you think of vibrant ruby hearts instead of shining hematite beads, but hematite is full of surprises.

The mineral hematite's name comes from the word haima, the Greek word for blood. This may seem surprising since hematite's appearance seems anything but red, but the Greeks were referring to the dark red color that forms when hematite is crushed and immersed in water.

In the ancient world, hematite not only got its name from a Greek word, but it also was related to the Greek god of war, Ares. The Greeks loathed this god, unlike the Romans, who related the mineral to Mars, their god of war. Roman warriors used hematite for protection during battle, and even thought it could impart properties of invincibility.

This mirror-like mineral’s popularity in jewelry was at its highest in Europe during the Victorian era, and has since seen a strong resurgence in North America, especially in the western United States.

Hematite can be found in many shapes and it has long been a favorite in many cultures for carvings and charms – even for heart charms. Magnetic hematite, with its reputed healing properties, is very popular, and is found in loose beads and finished jewelry. There is some debate and many opinions about whether or not magnetic hematite is truly hematite. Some say the magnetic hematite you find is not hematite at all, it is lodestone, also called magnetite, which is a naturally magnetic, shiny black mineral. Other resources call the shiny magnetic beads hematine, which is entirely artificial, or hemalyke, which is the same artificial stone with a different name.

True hematite, with its high iron content, appears in many forms in nature, with names as interesting as the specimens themselves. Some of its forms include kidney ore, a bumpy ore that has an appearance likened to a kidney; hematite rose, a formation with crystals in the shape of petals; tiger iron, a sedimentary rock with hematite mixed into its multiple layers; oolitic, sedimentary deposits of small, circular hematite grains; and micaceous hematite, a scaly, shiny stone valued for decorative uses. The soft form of this mineral is called red ochre. Red ochre is a pigment that was used in Native American cultures for face paint.

Hematite has had a variety of uses through the ages. Archeologists exploring in Egypt were surprised when they found 8 inches of powdered hematite dust protecting an ancient tomb. The ancient Egyptians knew that anyone disturbing the dust on the floor and sarcophagus of the tomb would suffer from intense irritation of the eyes, skin, and all mucous membranes -- even to the point of death.

In modern times, good specimens of hematite come from England, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, United States and Canada.

Not surprisingly, with all of this red and iron, hematite may rust on you, if it is not given proper care. It is believed that if you care for your hematite, it will help care for you. Hematite is said to have many different helpful properties, including diminishing worry, offering protection from the highly charged emotions of others, strengthening the connection between spirit and body, and aiding in treatment of insomnia.

Hematite can help you feel grounded, or comfortable in your environment. It also helps us feel grounded to the energy from the earth.  So not only does it help dissolve negativity, it helps to turn it into a different kind of energy -- the energy of universal love. It also helps the heart -- not in a medical way, but in the way that supports dreams and desires.

Hematite itself doesn’t always like to be alone – it likes to hook up. The mineral often appears within other crystals such as Aventurine or as phantom crystals.

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