MAGNETIC HEMATITE

Description

Magnetic Hematite starts out as the natural or raw form of hematite. This raw form is made up of Iron Oxide that contains small amounts of titanium and can be found in black, gray to silver gray, brown to reddish brown or red. Gemstone quality hematite is an opaque stone that looks similar to metal.

This natural form of hematite does have a small amount of natural magnetism, but usually not enough to measure. Natural hematite is rare and very expensive to mine.

So, how do we get from the raw form of hematite to magnetic hematite?

Natural hematite becomes magnetic hematite by creating a composite of the natural hematite, magnetite and small amounts of other minerals such as copper, titanium and aluminum.

This composite material is then heated, blended together, and pressed into the desired shape (pendants, beads, etc). Once they have cooled, the finished shape is re-heated inside an external electromagnetic field to give it a permanent magnetism. (Natural hematite cannot be permanently magnetized.)

Magnetic hematite and natural hematite looks and reacts to tests very similarly. It even has the same chemical composition. It is very hard to tell the two apart.

Are there advantages to using magnetic hematite in jewelry over the natural hematite?

Yes!  The magnetic properties in magnetic hematite are very consistent.  When wearing magnetic jewelry for health purposes and for pain relief, this is very important.  For the magnetic jewelry to be effective, that magnetism need to be consistent and the beads should not lose their magnetism.