A fine-grained mixture of dickite/kaolinite/alunite and quartz, with varying amounts of red cinnabar, giving it typical bright red to purple shades. One of the most highly prized ornamental materials in China, especially for use in elaborate carvings and seals. In Chinese tradition, the color red is symbolic of good luck, so the cinnabar in the stone is believed to protect people from evil and to bring good luck and fortune. Chicken blood stone is seen as more powerful than jade, which is also considered capable of protecting people from evil.
What Is Bloodstone & Where Can It Be Found
Bloodstone is dickite or kaolinite found in cinnabar bands, it is a type of stone featuring the scarlet color that is redder than vermilion. Because the redness is exactly the same as chicken blood, people name it heliotrope (chicken blood stone by the Chinese). Cinnabar is found in all localities that yield mercury, notably Puerto Princesa in Philippines; Almadén in Spain; New Almaden and New Idria in California; Idrija in Slovenia; Giza, Egypt; Huancavelica in Peru; Murfreesboro in Arkansas; Terlingua inTexas, and few other places. In China, bloodstone was first found in Yuyan mountain in Changhua, Zhejiang. Later Bahrain blood stone was found in Balinyouqi, Chifeng city of Inner Mongolia. In the 20th century, bloodstone was also discovered in Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Hunan, Yunnan and other places in China. Now that the Changhua cinnabar (mercury) mining is near its end, the blood stone output is very limited, which lead to ever increasing market prices.
What Factors Affect Colors of Bloodstone
When cinnabar (mercuric sulfide) penetrates into kaolinite and dickite, the result is a naturally blended stone from the two which is very rare around the world. The blood part is composed of mainly mercuric sulfide, while the base stone is either kaolinite or dickite. Its hardness is 2-3.The stone is often mixed with a small amount of spotted mercury and grains of quartz on the surface. In addition to mercuric sulfide, the blood also contains other coloration elements like iron and titanium, they are the darker dying ingredients and the main factors bloodstones showing different reds. Additionally, the bloodstone also contains different photosensitive elements such as selenium and tellurium, they are the main reason why the color fades or changes under the light and heat.
Bloodstone Jewelry
A Beautiful High Grade Bloodstone
High Grade Chicken Blood Stone Sculpture
Bloostone: Used for Seal, Crafting & Jewelry
Bloodstone has various colors, it can be red, pink, purple, dark red, etc., the most valuable is the bright red with the “blood” appears to be actively flowing. In China, it is mainly used as a seal or crafting material. High grade bloodstone is mostly appropriate as a seal, so to speak, any bloodstone has been carved as a sculpture is not of high quality, since the purpose of carving it is to cover the natural defects.
The stone has eight basic colors, which blend or combine in different layers: red, black, white, yellow, green, blue, gray, and purple. The ingredients vary from 2 to 7 in hardness, making it a very difficult stone to work with.
The best jewelry-grade bloodstone is solid green with deeply saturated color and highly visible red spots, yet most pieces have only tiny red spots, some have no spots at all. The more blood the higher grade in general. Most bloodstone is treated to a highly polished finish to enhance its value. Bloodstone is often cut into round or convex (cabochon) beads to make necklaces and pendants. It is also made into rings and bracelets.
We have our own small mines here at Bonasgold mine and can provide large quantity of this semi-precious and rare stone.
