Bloodstone Gemstone Information

Introduction

In the world of gemstones, it would be difficult to find one with more history and spiritual importance than Bloodstone. Perhaps its most famous legend is that the crimson red spots that decorate the deep green gemstone represent the blood of Jesus but Bloodstone’s symbolic power stretches back to Ancient Babylon, Egypt and Greece.

Healing powers, the ability to change the weather, protection from enemies, turning the wearer invisible, prophetic talents, an aphrodisiac and a symbol of justice – Bloodstone gemstones are quite the over achievers aren’t they?

Bloodstone is a dramatic looking deep green Chalcedony gemstone speckled with red, brown and orange spots and cousin to Agate, Carnelian, Onyx and Jasper. Its ancient use as a seal, amulet, signet ring and even small cups has developed into unique modern pendant, earring, bracelet and necklace designs.

Bloodstone is mainly a deep green to almost black looking gemstone decorated with red, orange or brown spotting caused by iron oxide inclusions, especially Hematite.

The dark green background is created by the presence of the mineral, Chlorite, or a mixture of minerals known as Hornblende. Since the presence of these minerals can vary in quantity the green can also vary in shade or be inconsistent throughout the gemstone.

The best quality Bloodstone gemstones are considered to be the examples with a solid deep green color with visible spots or veins of bright red scattered all over the surface.

Bloodstone has a confusing heritage not helped by the various names thrown its way.

Shall we have a quick geology lesson? I promise it will be short and not as boring as the one at school – and nowhere near as long!

Quartz is a mineral made of a mixture of silicon and oxygen and comes in two types, one with large crystals such as amethyst, citrine, rose quartz and so on and one with tiny crystals such as Chalcedony.

Bloodstone is a type of Chalcedony along with other very similar gemstones such as Agate, Jasper, Onyx and others, generally divided by their colors, stripes or patterns.

Quartz with larger crystals such as Amethyst tends to be transparent to translucent while Quartz with tiny crystals such as Bloodstone is usually translucent to opaque.

So Bloodstone is a type of Chalcedony which is a type of Quartz which is a type of Mineral.

Other names for Bloodstone include Heliotrope and Blood Jasper.

All done and no homework this week!

Gemstones usually fall into one of three categories of clarity with variations within that category.

Opaque gemstones do not allow any light to pass through even if you hold it up to a light source.

Translucent gemstones allow some light to shine through but you cannot see clearly through the gemstone.

Transparent Gemstones allow light to pass through uninhibited so you can look through them and see objects or read words on the other side.

Bloodstone is an opaque stone and as such is nearly always polished into dome shapes, or what we call cabochons, cut into round, oval and pear outlines but also in odd shapes ideal for unique jewelry pieces.

Chakras are the energy centers in your body also known as Qi or Prana. There are seven Chakras throughout the body each influencing a particular physical, emotional or mental state and each has an associated color. The seven chakras are as follows, Crown linked with the color purple, Third Eye (indigo), Throat (blue), Heart (green), Solar Plexus (yellow), Sacral (orange) and Root (red).

Sometimes in life our Chakras become unbalanced or blocked and need to be realigned or cleansed. One way to do this is through the use of Chakra healing stones. These stones or crystals are usually colored to correspond to individual chakras, red for the Root Chakra, orange for the Sacral, yellow for the Solar Plexus, green for the Heart, blue for the Throat, Indigo for the Third Eye and purple for the Crown Chakra.

Although it is predominantly green, it is the flecks of red, the iron oxide and hematite, that steer Bloodstone to the Root Chakra. If you are feeling insecure about your job, home or family, then this is a sure sign of a blocked Root Chakra and Bloodstone is the ideal gemstone to help clear it.

The most sought after and, therefore, valuable Bloodstone is a deep forest green in color with a spray of random red dots and spots resembling blood spatter. It is an opaque gemstone, so it is generally cut and polished into a smooth round, oval or pear shape. This smooth domed cut enhances the silky polish and sheen that is one of a Bloodstone gemstone’s most attractive features.

Bloodstone gemstones are available in almost any size for a variety of uses, from carving into cups and bowls down to the very popular cabochon rings for men. The large gemstones with unique markings make them ideal for one-off contemporary jewelry designs that are so fashionable these days and at a very affordable price.

Along with Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Carnelian and a few others, Bloodstone was one of the first gemstones used by mankind. If you are ever exploring the world’s finest museums and find yourself in the antiquities from the ancient world section you will be sure to come across some Bloodstone gemstones. Babylonian seals from 3000 BC, Roman rings and pendants from the time of Jesus and gemstones engraved with crosses by early Christians are all on display.

The exquisite cups, bowls and vases made in the 15th and 16th century by the Miseroni family of lapidary artists often featured Bloodstone and are exhibited in the Louvre, Prado and British museums.

Before the legend of Christ’s blood falling on a Jasper stone gave us the name Bloodstone, this gemstone was known as Heliotrope (and still is in parts of Europe). The earliest known source of what was then called Heliotrope is the Kathiawar Peninsula in the resource rich area of Gujarat in North Western India.

Bloodstone can be found in many places throughout the world with India, Australia, Brazil and Madagascar providing the best in quality and quantity.

It is one of the few gemstones found in Scotland – on the Island of Rum (surely that should be Whiskey?)

Like most gemstones, Bloodstone formed when hot molten rock, known as magma, rose to the surface crust of the earth and began to cool.

As the soft, warm molten rock cooled and hardened, gas bubbles formed as well as cracks and cavities where magma flowed, overlapped or cooled at different rates.

The magma hardened into rock and the gasses escaped leaving little pockets of space. Into these pockets fluids such as silica, rich in dissolved quartz molecules, flowed and settled.

Bloodstone’s solid green color is created by the presence of minerals such as Chlorite and Amphibole as it crystallized in the volcanic igneous rocks while the red spots are caused by iron oxide impurities.

When the Bloodstone material has fully formed it is generally harder than the surrounding rock. Wind, rain and ice slowly erode away everything but the hard gemstone material.

These Bloodstone gemstones then get washed away by streams and creeks and sit as pebbles on river beds waiting to be collected millions of years later.

Other than the usual cutting and polishing and occasional carving, Bloodstone is not usually treated by heat or dye in any way that we are aware of.

If any gemstones sold by GemSelect receive any treatment we will always disclose this information.

With a hardness of around 6.5 – 7 on Mohs scale and a relatively inexpensive price, Bloodstone can be used as just about any type of jewelry. Historically rings, pendants and amulets made of Bloodstone gemstones were very popular but now we are limited only by our imaginations.

See our detailed article on the Mohs hardness scale right here

Contemporary jewelers often use Bloodstone for men’s jewelry items as its rich deep greens have a certain appealing masculine quality, especially for large domed rings and cufflinks.

The availability of large and odd shapes makes Bloodstone ideal for unique jewelry items and its relative affordability means it is a favorite among jewelry making beginners.

Natural Viagra?

In India, specimens of fine bloodstone are crushed and ground into a powder then used as an aphrodisiac.

If a Bloodstone has yellow spots instead of red spots it is known as a Plasma gemstone.

A lot has been written about it.

Bloodstone is mentioned in the works of Pliny the Elder, Damigeron’s ‘The Virtues of Stones’, Albert the Great’s ‘Treatise on Minerals’ and the ancient Leyden Papyrus.

In the Leyden Papyrus, this is written about Bloodstone:

The world has no greater thing; if anyone have this with him he will be given whatever he asks for; It also assuages the wrath of kings and despots, and whatever the wearer says will be believed. Whoever bears this stone, which is gem, and pronounces the name engraved upon it, will find all doors open, while bonds and stone walls will be rent asunder.

Bloodstone was once thought to cause eclipses of the sun.

Bloodstone is a traditional and an alternative birthstone for the month of March.

Bloodstone gemstones should be stored inside a fabric-lined box or wrapped in a soft cloth. It is rated about 6.5 - 7 on the Mohs hardness scale, so they should be kept away from other gemstones and jewelry to ensure they do not get scratched by any harder gemstones or damage any that may be softer.

To clean, just wash in warm soapy water using a soft brush, rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft cloth, we do not recommend ultrasonic cleaners or steamers.

It is a good idea to remove any jewelry before doing any physical activity such as sports, housework or gardening.

Obviously buying gemstones from a reputable dealer is the best approach but this is not always possible when you are out searching the net for a great gemstone or a bargain!

Bloodstone is a fairly easy gemstone to identify – a quick look at photographs on the internet or a look around your local gemstone store will be enough to familiarize yourself with what they are supposed to look like. A deep green with flecks of red and perhaps some other colored marks.

The amount of red spots or dots will vary from gemstone to gemstone, some can cover the entire gemstone while others can be almost non-existent. This does not verify whether the Bloodstone is real or not but the lack of red spots will affect the price. Anyone attempting a fake gemstone will probably put lots of red on it.

As it is not very expensive there are not that many fake gemstones out there but real Bloodstones have nice shine to them so look out for that and they are opaque so check for light shining through. Keep an eye out for gemstones that appear too perfect, an even color across the surface and red dots too round or too bright.

At 6.5 – 7 on the Mohs hardness scale they are a little bit in the middle for an accurate scratch test – and glass, a common counterfeit material in some sections of the gems world is about the same hardness. A pen knife will not be able to scratch a real Bloodstone nor a copper coin but a steel nail might.

See our detailed article on the Mohs hardness scale right here

This is not a complete guide on how to spot a real gemstone but I hope it helps.

At GemSelect, we stand by our gemstones as being as we describe them, any treatments are disclosed and our return policy means you can feel quite assured when ordering from us.

Bloodstone gemstones are part of our shared history, from beads and seals thousands of years ago through ornate vases and jugs in the middle ages to the wire-wrapped pendants of today.

Hold one in your hand and you will sense its significance and understand why the ancients revered this gemstone so much and why many people trust in its spiritual power in this cynical age.

The deep green coloring has a feeling of gravity and importance about it and the red mottling, so evocative of blood, only emphasizes this gemstone’s significance.

Some gemstones show a distinct or dramatic change in color under different light sources. Look at a garnet under electric or artificial light and it could look red, take it outside into the sunlight and all of a sudden it is green!

This remarkable effect only occurs in a few gemstones, Alexandrite, Garnet and some Sapphires being the most well known but Bloodstone is NOT one that has this effect.