|
| |
Tiger Eye (Iron) Hematite
Tiger Eye: A type of quartz that displays
"chatoyancy" or a yellow light band resembling the slit- like pupil of a
cat’s eye.
Hematite: The name comes from the Greek for
blood, as in hemoglobin. Hematite leaves a red streak, and will color water red when
powdered.
History & Mythology:
Ancient superstition held that large deposits of hematite
formed from battles that were fought and the subsequent blood that flowed into the ground.
Crystals of Hematite are considered rare and are sought after by collectors Hematite
(along with carnelian and jasper; red stones) was once used to prevent bleeding. The
Egyptians made extensive use of hematite as amulets. The "head rest" and the
"carpenter's stone" were made of hematite, as were 4 of the 47 heart amulets in
the Cairo Museum. It was said that hematite brought good fortune to those addressing
kings, lawsuits, and judges. Hematite offered invulnerability to warriors. Roman soldiers
wore tiger's-eyes engraved for protection during battles. Hematite was used in seals as
early as 2500 B.C. This projective stone promotes protection, courage, energy, luck and is
good for divination and money spells. This is a warm stone and promotes energy flow
through the body.
Physical Properties:
- Color: Steel or silver gray to black in some
forms and red to brown in earthy forms.
- Luster : Metallic or dull in earthy and
oolitic forms.
- Transparency: Crystals are opaque.
- Cleavage: Absent, however there is a parting
on two planes.
- Hardness: 5 - 6
- Refractive Index: 2.94 to 3.22 (very high)
- Specific Gravity: 5.3 (slightly above average
for metallic minerals)
- Associated Minerals include jasper a mineral
variety of quartz in banded iron formations (BIF or Tiger Iron), dipyramidal quartz,
rutile and pyrite among others.
- Notable Occurrences especially nice specimens
come from England, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and the Lake Superior region.
- Best Field Indicators are crystal habit,
streak and hardness.
- Class: Oxides and Hydroxides
- Uses: Very important ore of iron, as a
pigment and as mineral specimens. Hematite has several varieties, each with their own
unique name:
- Hematite Rose is a circular arrangement of
bladed crystals giving the appearance of the flower of a rose.
- Tiger Iron is a sedimentary deposit of
approximately 2.2 billion years old that consists of alternating layers of silver gray
hematite and red jasper, chert or even tiger eye quartz.
Major Uses:
- Rouge, a widely used jewelry polishing
compound, is powdered hematite
- Hematite is often found as cabochons for rings, beads, and as
intaglios (engravings) and cameos. Opaque hematite has been faceted in small stones and
used as a diamond imitator in older pieces (similar to the use of marcasite).
Return to Top of Page
Return to Index Page
|
