Magnetic Hematite

Hematite, a form of iron oxide, is one of the most abundant minerals on earth. Color ranges from black to steel or silver-gray, brown to reddish brown, or red. It is harder than pure iron, but much more brittle and it polishes to a high luster. The term hematite is derived from the Greek word for blood, likely because powdered hematite is reddish. Powdered hematite is used for chalk, paint pigments, and red rouge and jewelers rouge polishing compounds. Natural hematite is a minor gem material used to produce cabochons, beads, and small sculptures. It is only weakly magnetic. What is called "magnetic hematite", which is often used in jewelry, is a manufactured product that most often does not even contain hematite, but is mainly synthetic ceramic barium-strontium ferrite magnet.