Key properties
| Chemical formula | Man-made ceramic iron oxide, commonly barium-strontium ferrite composites (contains no natural hematite crystal material despite the name) |
| Mohs hardness | 5-6.5 |
| Toughness | Good for beads and signets |
| Optic character | Too opaque to test |
| Specific gravity | 4.90-5.30 |
| Cleavage | None |
| Fracture | Conchoidal |
| Habit | Moulded beads, tablets, signets and intaglios; extruded into magnetic-bead strands |
| Lustre | Metallic; polish: Sub-metallic to vitreous |
| UV fluorescence | Inert. |
| Pleochroism | None observable. |
| Cause of colour | Intrinsic grey-black of the sintered iron-oxide/ferrite ceramic. |
| Typical inclusions | Uniform moulded body with no natural texture; intaglios usually lack true graver lines (moulded detail instead) |
| Stability | Durable in wear; the magnetic filler can rust if the surface is breached and exposed to moisture for long periods. |
| Heat sensitivity | Low concern in normal wear. |
| Care and cleaning | Warm soapy water; dry thoroughly; avoid prolonged soaking if chipped. |
| Availability | Plentiful and extremely cheap as beads and signets. |
| Recognition | Widely sold, usually honestly labelled 'magnetic hematite' in the therapy-bead market. |
Varieties
Imitation Hematite (Hematine)
| Colour | dark grey to black with metallic lustre |
| Transparency | opaque |
| Clarity type | Not applicable - opaque |
| Phenomena | None |
| Appearance | Convincing hematite look: metallic gun-metal grey with a mirror polish on moulded beads and signets; the moulded intaglio detail is slightly soft compared with hand-engraved natural hematite. |
| Trade names | hematine • hemalike • magnetic hematite |
| Misnomers | 'Hematite' plain and simple - the single most common misdescription in the bead market |
| Typical sizes | Beads 4-12 mm in bulk strands; signets and tablets in standard sizes |
| Cutting styles | Beads, tablets, signets, moulded intaglios and cameos |
| Key separations | From natural hematite: hang a magnet - hematine snaps to it, natural hematite does not (a weak tug from an exceptionally powerful neodymium magnet can occur on natural material, but a plain fridge magnet lifting the bead is decisive for hematine). Natural hematite streaks red-brown on unglazed porcelain; haematine streaks dark grey-brown, though some imitations are formulated to streak reddish too. Natural hematite SG ~5.26 (4.9-5.3), hematine similar but batch-variable. Intaglios: moulded detail without graver lines suggests imitation. From steel/cobalt beads: those rust differently and ring differently; hematine is ceramic throughout. |
| Sources (localities) | Factory-made (chiefly Asia); no natural source. |
| Availability | Plentiful in bead and findings markets. |
| Market notes | Costs cents per bead; the honest label is 'magnetic hematite' or hematine - never hematite. Therapy-jewellery claims are outside gemmology and should not be repeated as fact. |
| Care notes | Wipe and dry; keep chipped beads out of prolonged moisture. |
| In short | The magnetic imitation of hematite: moulded ferrite ceramic, grey-black and metallic, instantly detected because a magnet lifts it while natural hematite stays put. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–20.00 | $0.02 – $0.50 | costume component | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Sources
GIA gem encyclopedia · mindat.org · Wikipedia
Data compiled and fact-checked against gemmological literature, October 2026 (JDMIS gem reference). Properties are ranges accepted in gemmological practice; individual stones vary.
See also
Gemstone reference entries: gem #194
Related materials: Glass (gem imitation) · Plastic (gem imitation)
Identification wizard · All 83 materials · Singapore gem labs