Hematite necklace with Turquoise colored Howlite and silver balls

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 alongside other varieties such as the red bloodstone and the gray-black to black iron shine and micaceous iron. The mineral has a hardness between 5 and 6. The so-called stripe, or stripe color, the color the mineral gives off when rubbed over an unglazed porcelain dish, is usually a characteristic blood red - this is how the mineral gets its name. The mineral may contain trace amounts of magnesium, manganese and titanium. Hematite occurs both as a corridor mineral and in sedimentary layers. It is often the cause of the red coloring of many rocks. Other iron ores such as magnetite, limonite and iron spar often occur together with hematite. When magnetite has been converted to hematite, it is called martite. The mineral occurs worldwide, in Europe in Germany, including 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 Namur, 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 the Missouri. More than half of the world's production today comes from China, Brazil and Australia. In addition, the mineral also occurs in high concentration on the surface of the planet Mars. This ensures the typical orange-red color of the 'Red Planet'. In its pure state, hematite consists of 70% iron, making it 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, as a mirror for a long time. 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 petroglyphs and for body paintings. Artists use pressed hematite markers for drawings and sketches. These pens are soft and color well. Red bolus, a highly clay-containing type of hematite, is widely used as a primer for gilding. As a pigment, hematite is suitable for painting ceramics and dyeing threads for carpets.