Dark green chalcedony spotted with red. Old battlefield stone, still a stubborn one.
The aesthetic
Bloodstone is a deep green chalcedony flecked and streaked with red from inclusions of iron oxide, and the better pieces have the spots scattered rather than pooled. It is also called heliotrope, an old name from the belief that the stone turned the reflection of the sun red in water. It is opaque, tough, and usually seen tumbled or carved.
The dynamic
Bloodstone carries a long association with courage, vitality and endurance, and was traditionally carried by people who expected the day to ask something of them.
Some variations
- heliotrope
- fancy jasper bloodstone
- seftonite