Bracelet with Hematite and Tiger Eye beads. One size fits all.

Hematite (from Greek: αιμία, haima, blood) is a mineral composed mainly of ferric oxide crystals (iron(III) oxide, Fe2O3), one of the iron oxides. It occurs in addition to other varieties such as the red bloodstone and the gray-black to black iron gloss and iron mica. The mineral has a hardness between 5 and 6. The so-called stripe, or stripe color, the color that the mineral gives off when rubbed on an unglazed porcelain dish, is usually a characteristic blood red - the mineral takes its name from this. The mineral may contain traces of magnesium, manganese and titanium. Hematite occurs both as a corridor mineral and in sedimentary layers. It is often the cause of red coloring of many rocks. Other iron ores such as magnetite, limonite and ferric spar often occur together with hematite. When magnetite is converted to hematite, it is called martite. The mineral occurs worldwide, in Europe in Germany, among others in the area of ​​the Lahn where the world's largest concentration of iron ores is, in the Eifel, the Harz and in the Thuringian Forest. Also in England in Cumberland and North Lancashire, in Belgium in Vezin and Namen, on the Italian island of Elba and in Spain. In Africa, Algeria is a notable producer and in the United States of America it is found near the Upper Lake and near the Missouri. More than half of world production today comes from China, Brazil and Australia. In addition, the mineral is also found in high concentration on the surface of the planet Mars. This creates the typical orange-red color of the 'Red Planet'. In its pure state, hematite consists of 70% iron and is therefore the most important iron ore. Iron is extracted by reacting it with carbon at a high temperature. In addition, hematite is used as a polishing agent and because of its high reflection for a long time as a mirror. The red color and the fact that hematite is non-toxic make the mineral very suitable as a pigment. Already in the Stone Age it was used for rock paintings and for body paintings. Artists use pressed hematite markers for drawings and sketches. Such markers are soft and color well. Red bolus, a strongly clay-containing type of hematite, is widely used as a primer in gilding. As a pigment, hematite is suitable for painting ceramics and dyeing threads for carpets.