Physical Properties of Hematite for Identification and Classification Purposes.

This site contains information on the Physical Properties and Chemical Composition of Minerals, gemstones, crystals, precious metals, and sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks for crystallography, geology, identification of minerals, Jewelry and mineralogy. This includes cleavage, description of crystal formations, crystal structure, hardness, specific gravity, Mohs’ Scale, crystal features and crystal habits for identification and classification purposes.

Color
Hematite is a mineral appearing as metallic gray, red gray, red brown with a metallic luster; it may even look more like a metal than a mineral when encountered in nature. The name Hematite originates from the Greek word for blood, haima, which refers to the dark red color of the mineral’s streak. When crushed, Hematite will turn water red. Specular Hematite (Hematite with a reflective finish) has iridescent colors in its finish. Thin slices of Hematite appear red and transparent.

Crystal
Hematite crystals are members of the Trigonal System group, which is a subset of the Hexagonal system. It is also conchoidal and may appear as a phantom within other crystals.

Uses
Hematite, with its high iron content is a very useful mineral. As just mentioned, its chemical composition contains a high percentage of Iron (70%) and it is the primary ore used to create Iron. Beyond its use as an ore, jewelers appreciate its shiny luster for creating engravings, cameos, cabochons, beads and imitation diamonds. Red Ochre is a pigment created from Hematite that was used in Native American cultures for face paint.

Forms
Hematite appears in many forms in nature, such as 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. Its soft Earthy, form is called Red Ochre. Hematite often appears within other crystals such as Aventurine or as phantom crystals.

Chemical Name: Iron Oxide, Fe2O3

Hardness: 5.5-6.5

Specific Gravity: 5.2-5.3

Cleavage: none

Not Magnetic

Fracture: Conchoidal, Uneven, Splintered

Refractive Index: 2.94-3.22

Transparency: Opaque naturally; when thinly sliced, transparent with a red tint

Specular-mirrored finished

Luster: metallic or dull

Crystal Sytem: Trigonal

Crystal Habits: tubular, twinned, micaceous, botroudal, oolitic

Subject to rusting

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