Archives for heliotrope

Bloodstone or Heliotrope

Bloodstone or heliotrope is a kind of chalcedony that is predominantly green in color, but contains flecks or blotches of red that look like drops of blood, hence its name. The red areas are often cut out and used as gemstones. Occasionally, the red is instead orange or yellow. Bloodstone is always found as masses and never in crystalline form. Despite its appearance, bloodstone is a variety of quartz, and is mined mainly in North America, Brazil, India, and some parts of Europe.  Its hardness is around 7 on the Mohs scale, being essentially quartz. It has a long history
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