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Bloodstone (a variety of Chalcedony - Quartz)
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Bloodstone

  
Bloodstone is named from its appearance resembling blood spots on a dark green background.

Discovery year unknown;   IMA status: Not Valid (trade name)

 

Chemistry

 

 

Chemical Formula:

SiO2

 

Silicon Dioxide

Molecular Weight:

60.08 gm

Composition:

Silicon

46.74 %

Si

100.00 %

SiO2

 

Oxygen

53.26 %

O

 

 

 

 

100.00 %

 

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

 

 

Classification

   

   

Mineral Classification:

Oxides

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

4/D.01-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

4.DA.05

 

4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
D : Metal: Oxygen = 1:2 and similar
A : With small cations: Silica family

Related to:

n/a

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

Blood Jasper, Blue Jasper, Blutjaspis, Heliotrope, Oriental Jasper, Xanthus

 

 

Crystal Data

   

   

Crystallography:

Trigonal - Trapezohedal

Crystal Habit:

Widely variable; but typically long prismatic with steep pyramidal terminations, but may be short prismatic to nearly bipyramidal; fibrous (Agate & Chalcedony)

Twinning:

Very common, penetration twins on the Dauphiné law, about [0001], and the Brazil law, with [1120] as contact plane; contact twins on the Japan law, with [1122] as contact plane, may be repeated; and several other laws.

 

 

Physical Properties

   

 

Cleavage:

Indistinct on {0110}

Fracture:

Conchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

7.0

Density:

2.60 - 2.65 (g/cm3)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

 

 

Optical Properties

   

   

Color:

Various shades of Green with Blood-Red to Orange spots

Transparency:

Opaque

Luster:

Vitreous

Refractive Index:

1.543 - 1.554  Uniaxial ( + )

Birefringence:

0.0090

Dispersion:

0.013 (low)

Pleochroism:

None

 

 

Occurances

   

   

Geological Setting:

In hydrothermal veins, epithermal to alpine; characteristic of granites and granite pegmatites; in sandstones and quartzites, less abundant in other rock types; in hydrothermal metal deposits. Common in carbonate rocks; a residual mineral in soils and sediments.

Common Associations:

Calcite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspars, Fluorite, Micas, Zeolites, many other species.

Common Impurities:

Iron oxides

Type Locality:

Possibly India

Year Discovered:

Unknown

View mineral photos:

Bloodstone Mineral Photos and Locations

 

 

More Information

   

   

 

Mindat.org  (Bloodstone)
Mindat.org  (Chalcedony)
Mindat.org  (Quartz)
Webmineral.com  (Quartz)

 

 


Bloodstone, also known as Heliotrope, is a type of Chalcedony which is a type of cryptocrystaline, or fine-grained, Quartz with a fibrous microstructure. This type of material is also called Plasma. Plasma is a microfibrous type of Chalcedony colored various shades of green by densly packed fibrous Actinolite crystals and including blood-red to orange spots of iron oxides or red Jasper that resemble blood spots. This material is always opaque and usually found as cabochons but may also be faceted. It is very attractive with its "blood" spots on a deep green background.

Bloodstone is found in India, Brazil and South Africa and more recently very fine examples are coming from Madagascar.
 

  
Bloodstone gems for sale:

We have not photographed our Bloodstone gems yet. Please check back soon.
 

 


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