diane de saint ouen

handmade gemstone jewelry

 Made in France

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 Gemstones:  Haematite or Hematite      

A relatively common mineral with a very high iron content, hematite with a rough or broken surface turns red when exposed to air.  Historically, the red powder this produces was seen as a protective force to Roman soldiers who rubbed it on their bodies before battle.  This redness also appears if hematite is rubbed against a harder stone and thus seems to "bleed".  When polished, hematite presents an opaque but reflective surface, often used as a "magic mirror", reported to deflect negative energy. 

Today, it is sometimes referred to as the "lawyers' stone" as it is supposed to help with legal disputes and to fight against injustice.  Very brittle and relatively hard, 5-6 on Mohs' hardness scale, hematite has a tendancy to shatter if struck against a hard surface.  It's lovely reflective quality is unfortunately paired with a certain heaviness.  Therefore, it's always better to include this stone sparingly in jewelry.

Hardness on Mohs' scale:  5-6

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