💫 Iron-heart lore and care
Natural Hematite is usually only weakly magnetic or may show no obvious response to an ordinary hand magnet. Uniformly strong “magnetic Hematite” beads are commonly manufactured ferrite materials rather than natural Hematite. Specularite, kidney ore, iron rose and Martite describe habits or replacement textures, not separate mineral species.
Hematite measures approximately 5–6.5 on the Mohs scale and is distinctly heavy, but it remains brittle. Wipe polished pieces with a soft cloth or clean them briefly using lukewarm water and mild soap, then dry thoroughly. Use only a soft dry brush on fragile plates, iron roses or powdery surfaces. Avoid soaking, impacts, abrasive cloths, strong chemicals, steam and ultrasonic cleaning when coatings, repairs, resin, glue or natural fractures may be present.