Hematite Jewelry
Hematite jewelry is simply beautiful. It has a silvery shine to it that makes you wonder if it's a gemstone or a metal. Combine that with its ease of care, and you have a winning combination.
Truth be told, hematite is almost always manmade. The simulated and natural materials are so similar that they are almost indistinguishable - they even have the same chemical composition. For jewelry purposes, hematite is also much cheaper to manufacture than to mine. SIDEBAR: IDENTIFYING HEMATITE| If you have a piece of unglazed porcelain... One way to determine whether your hematite is natural or manmade is that when scratched across unglazed porcelain, natural hematite leaves a red streak while manmade hematite leaves a gray streak. |
If your hematite jewelry needs a cleaning, use either a polishing cloth or liquid tarnish remover if it's with tarnished sterling. Hematite was used in seals as early as 2500 B.C. The Egyptians used it to treat hysteria, reduce swelling, and place in tombs. The Roman warriors took hematite with them in battle for protection, and Native Americans used it for red face paint. Until very recently, hematite was used in the manufacture of blush.
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