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

  
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.
 

  
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