Blood stones

[Neelie]

Many years back I was playing around a little mound of mud, when I spotted what looked like a piece of green cloth with red polka dots on it, being extremely fond of the color green, I started to dig around the cloth which seemed to be streched across a smooth rock. But when I had pulled it out I discovered it was not a piece of cloth but it was a beautiful rock itself, about 1 1/2 in diameter, almost round and very smooth.The red polka dots were very evenly placed and were exactly round about 1/6 of an inch in size, each was of the same size ( which had led me to believe it was a printed cloth).
I tried showing it to my dad but he was more interested in talking to his friend. So I just started playing with it. On our way back home we visited some friends and while playing, I forgot that I had the stone in my hand, thinking it was a ball I hit it hard against the concrete floor, expecting it to bounce back, but it broke in half, I discovered that the inside was just the same as the outside, beautiful red evenly shaped polka dots inside as well. My friend wanted half of the stone so I gave it to her. When we returned home I dropped the stone once more and it broke into two halves again, I gave half of that to another friend and was left with only a quarter of the orignal stone. Later while shifting to another house the stone was misplaced and I never found it again.
When I grew up I learned that the stone was called blood stone, so when my dad was in England I asked him to get me a blood stone. What he got for me was a total disappointment. These stones did not have evenly shaped polka dots on them nor was the green color of the stone balanced, but these stones had the green with shades in them.
I''ve searched the internet and many other books for a similar stone but can''t find one.
Does anyone out there know where I may find a stone like that? and how much can I expect it to cost?

 

[Kismet]

That''s a neat story. I don''t think I''ve ever seen a bloodstone with very evenly spaced red dots. Gem Select has a number of bloodstones. Richard Martin at Art Cut Gems may be another option as he generally has a lot of agates & jaspers so you may want to ask if he has what you want.

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 5/7/2010 4:30:39 AM
Author:Neelie
The red polka dots were very evenly placed and were exactly round about 1/6 of an inch in size, each was of the same size ( which had led me to believe it was a printed cloth).

I have no idea what you found but I strongly doubt it was natural bloodstone chalcedony. This image shows fine quality bloodstone from my rough inventory. Real bloodstone is quite scarce these days although there''s a lot of "fancy" bloodstone jasper on the market, usually with yellow and red patterns on green. It''s attractive but it''s not bloodstone. I''ve never seen round, evenly-spaced red "polka-dots" in any natural gem.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

 

[Neelie]

Then what was that stone I found. Can you tell me what a stone like that is called?

Is there any other stone that's a dark green with beautiful red polka dots on it. If there is I'd like to have it.

 

[Kismet]

I was browsing an antique site, saw this and thought of your post.

 

[Indylady]

Perhaps it was a synthetic if the dots were even spaced?

Does anyone know the MOHs of bloodstone? Would it break if you dropped it?

 

[VapidLapid]

Kismet I saw that same ring and thought of this thread too!
I love that 3 graces. Great bloodstone and ring as well; the carved gold is still so crisp.

 

[Neelie]

Thanks, Kismet''s rings,
This is closest to the stone I found. I know it was not synthetic, because I found it in a remote area, may dad had gone there to purchase a poltry farm nearby, and while he talked to a man, I and my sisters and brother started running all over the place, playing. I found it embeded in a small mound of mud, there is no way it it could be synthetic, by the way how much does the stone in your picture cost?

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 5/11/2010 12:57:44 PM
Author: IndyLady
Perhaps it was a synthetic if the dots were even spaced?


Does anyone know the MOHs of bloodstone? Would it break if you dropped it?

Bloodstone is a form of jasper or agate. It''s a cryptocrystalline quartz meaning that it is composed of a large number of micro quartz crystals which have all grown into each other. This makes it about a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale and yes, it can break if the cut is thin and it''s hit pretty hard. Normally they are quite durable though. They are really neat when viewed under a microscope since they have a little bit of depth and you can see all sorts of stuff going on in there. The little round dots are just one form that the red material can take and I have seen rough chunks which were just like the image shown on one side with the opposite side being yellow, orange and green...no red showing. I think that this stuff starts off as hot mud which forms next to lava flows and then hardens as it cools over time. At least that''s how the jasper deposits around here look since they form as "veins" in old lava flows. BTW, I wouldn''t have normally used the word, "cryptocrystalline", but I like the way it sounds AND it makes me sound like I''m smart so I just had to use it.

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 5/11/2010 12:57:44 PM
Author: IndyLady



Does anyone know the MOHs of bloodstone? Would it break if you dropped it?

Yes, like most gemstones bloodstone might break if dropped on a hard surface like a tile floor. But the hardness of a gem has very little to do with its breakability. That''s a separate property known as "toughness." Nephrite jade is about the same Mohs hardness as bloodstone but it''s extremely difficult to break. It''s "tough" because its structure is different, being made of many tiny interlocking fibers that give it great strength.

Two other properties can cause gems to break: "cleavage" planes and "parting" planes. Diamond is the hardest known substance but, like mica, it cleaves easily along the direction of its crystal faces. Sapphire and ruby are considered very tough gems but they sometimes break along "parting planes" which are defects in their crystal structure.

Some gem trivia: the Mohs hardness scale is named after German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs who created it in 1812. It''s only one of several definitions of hardness in gems and other materials.

Richard M. (Rick Martin)

 

[Kismet]

Date: 5/13/2010 12:22:56 PM
Author: Neelie
Thanks, Kismet''s rings,

This is closest to the stone I found. I know it was not synthetic, because I found it in a remote area, may dad had gone there to purchase a poltry farm nearby, and while he talked to a man, I and my sisters and brother started running all over the place, playing. I found it embeded in a small mound of mud, there is no way it it could be synthetic, by the way how much does the stone in your picture cost?

You can click on the link in my post and it will bring you right to the Three Graces site. In any case, they''re asking 1,450 for the whole ring. I''ve never purchased from them before so I don''t know if they''re open to haggling or not.

 

[Neelie]

Thanks for the link, I should have checked it first!

Now I wonder if the ring costs that much because it is a ''unique'' blood stone, or because it happens to be of antique value............. or because of the gold ring????????????

Any idea where I can get a blood stone like that, minus the ring, and that cost?

 

[Kismet]

I imagine it''s more the antique value/gold content that holds more value than the stone itself. I''d keep an eye on ebay. Maybe something like this will show up with slightly more red dots.

 

[Neelie]

Date: 5/14/2010 2:41:21 PM
Author: Kismet
I imagine it''s more the antique value/gold content that holds more value than the stone itself. I''d keep an eye on ebay. Maybe something like this will show up with slightly more red dots.

WOW! Now that''s a most beautiful green, just like the one I had, I wish the red spots were as beautiful, Thanks, I think I will keep an eye on ebay!