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Sell With a Story: Bloodstone

SWAS Bloodstone Blog Header

Bloodstone has a unique appearance and symbolic name. This deep green opaque chalcedony has red or reddish brown spots resembling drops of blood. From which it gets its name. The question is: To whose blood does it refer?

 

Bloodstone natural gemstones SWAS Blog

A source of stories

Without knowing about the stone’s relationship to Christianity, the name “bloodstone” makes perfect sense. It’s an exact description. But here in the West, many people associate the gemstone with lore from the Middle Ages. The story arose that at the crucifixion, the blood of Jesus fell on the dark green earth, turning it to stone. A second version says that the blood from the fatal spear thrust fell on green jasper at the base of the cross, creating this beautiful stone.

Five millennia — that’s a long time

However meaningful this story, bloodstone has played a part in our lives for 5,000 years. Humans first encountered it in Mesopotamia circa 3,000 BCE. People carved it into amulets that ancient warriors then carried into battle to stop wounds from bleeding. Later in the same region, the Babylonians engraved the stone to interpret omens and foretell the future.

Mysterious and magical

Ancient Egypt also had great faith in bloodstone. They believed it could magically defeat enemies by giving warriors great strength and make them invisible. That’s not a bad trick for avoiding an attack.

Antique bloodstone rings

Through the ages, bloodstone jewelry has enjoyed great popularity. Take a look at these two antique rings from Lang Antiques, one of our customers.

Images courtesy of Lang Antiques
Bloodstone Vintage Ring Lang Antiques Bloodstone Vintage Ring Lang Antiques

Let’s get technical

The stone is chalcedony, microcrystalline quartz meaning that the crystals are too tiny to see with the unaided eye. The mineral chlorite gives bloodstone its green color while iron oxide and hematite impurities create the spots. Its opacity comes from dense inclusions of silicate minerals.

Did you know?

Today, aquamarine is the modern choice for March’s birthstone, but that wasn’t always the case. On the list of traditional birthstones, bloodstone is the choice for March.

And this too . . .

Women choose the stone either for its symbolic meaning or its mystical powers. Both yellow and rose gold provide a rich setting. And it’s a natural choice for men especially if a customer is looking for a March birthstone. We feature calibrated bloodstone in numerous sizes and the four most popular shapes: round, oval, emerald, and rectangular.

Bloodstone mens ring SWAS Blog
You’ll find this Stuller men’s ring (#64221) in our jewelry selection. The mounting is #9583

Power up with Bloodstone

We’ve already talked about some of bloodstone’s mysterious forces, but this gemstone has more to offer. Anyone of us would appreciate these gifts, and I particularly love the last three. Bloodstone imparts —

 

  • Good health and long life.
  • Increased vitality, passion, and courage.
  • Mental clarity
  • The respect of others.
  • Good fortune, riches, and fame.
  • Protection against deception, negativity, and evil.
  • Victory in court.
  • The ability to control the weather, summoning storms and rain at will.
  • The gift of prophecy.

Control the weather? I have to say this is the first time I’ve seen this for any gemstone. I suggest we all go out and buy this incredible stone.

Shop Bloodstone on Stuller.com

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Raffel

I've been with Stuller since 2013 • Primarily read books on physics and other sciences • Was blown away by 'Breaking Bad' • I believe no woman can have too many boots or too much jewelry • Been writing professionally longer than I care to admit • Studied tailoring after college.