Meaning & use
bloodstone
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Meaning
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A dark green chalcedony with red iron-oxide spots, cut for jewelry and traditionally linked with healing.
Grammar: Countable for one gem or piece; uncountable for the material: a bloodstone ring versus bloodstone inlay.
Patterns
- a bloodstone ring/cabochon
- carve bloodstone
- bloodstone bead
The ring is set with a polished bloodstone.
Bloodstone beads can be deep green with tiny red flecks.
Some collectors value bloodstone for its color contrast rather than folklore.
Word forms
| plural | bloodstones |
|---|
Common combinations
- bloodstone ring
- She wears a bloodstone ring set in silver.
- polished bloodstone
- Polished bloodstone looks almost black until the light hits it.
- bloodstone cabochon
- The jeweler cut a bloodstone cabochon for the pendant.
- tumbled bloodstone
- He keeps a tumbled bloodstone on his desk.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heliotrope
- Heliotrope is an older or trade-related name for the same green-and-red chalcedony, while bloodstone is the familiar jewelry name.
- jasper
- Jasper is opaque quartz in many solid or banded colors; bloodstone is a specific green chalcedony with red spots.
Commonly confused: bloodstone or hematite? bloodstone or garnet?
bloodstone vs hematite
Hematite is an iron oxide often gray, black, or reddish brown, but it is not the green gem with red flecks called bloodstone.
bloodstone vs garnet
Garnet is typically a deep red gemstone; bloodstone is mostly green with red spots.
Practice
Which stone is dark green chalcedony with red spots caused by iron oxide?
Choose one answer.
Bloodstone is chalcedony with red iron-oxide inclusions. Hematite is an iron oxide mineral, limestone is sedimentary rock, and mica forms flaky sheets.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bloodstone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.