March’s birthstones are Bloodstone and Aquamarine, so I have created Fused Glass Bloodstone and Aquamarine pendants. This blog only covers bloodstone, albeit I will write another blog regarding Aquamarine.
According to Wikipedia, Bloodstone (also known as ‘heliotrope’ in Greek which means “sun turning”) is the original birthstone for March Bloodstone, a dark-green jasper flecked with vivid red spots of iron oxide. This ancient stone was used by the Babylonians to make seals and amulets and was believed to have healing powers — especially for blood disorders. It is sometimes called the martyr’s stone as legend tells that it was created when drops of Christ’s bloodstained some jasper at the foot of the cross.
Fine specimens of Bloodstone can be difficult to find on the market today. There are fake bloodstones on the market. To test it rub the stone against porcelain, if the stone leave blood-red scars then it is real bloodstone. Bloodstone is rated at 6.5 to 7 on Moh’s Scale of Hardness
How to Care for Bloodstone:
Bloodstone is best cleaned using warm soapy water and a soft brush. Keep bloodstone jewelry in a fabric-lined box away from other harder jewelry items to avoid scratching. Bloodstones set in jewelry are coated with a special polish to enhance the gemstones beauty; therefore, do not expose bloodstone jewelry to strong detergents or harsh chemicals.
It is believed bloodstone have special properties:
· Used to fight evil and avoid jealousy
· Used to stop bleeding, aid poor blood circulation, cure blood poisoning and draw out the poison from venomous animals.
· To boost spirit and add longevity
· To ease broken heart and brings good luck.
· If the stone turns blood-red in color, this is believed to show as a warning of the incoming danger.
· If the stone is soaked with water and rub on the skin, it will leave some blood-like liquid behind.
· Indians have long believed in the medical properties of bloodstone and used finely powdered bloodstone to make traditional medicines. India consumes large quantities of high quality bloodstone to make medicines even today.
* For the fused glass birthstone version of March’s “Bloodstone”, I used various shades of green and red frit. It is a beautiful stone and I tried to ensure my fused glass faux bloodstone is as beautiful. Another great reason to create fused glass version of bloodstone is I can add more green or red as you like. Just let me know.
As I mentioned before there are many advantages of fused glass over typical gemstones. Fused Glass is less expensive, more durable (than some birthstones), and can be bigger than typical gemstones. Moreover, Fused Glass gemstones can be made into anything not just earrings, pendants, rings but also key chains, bookmarks, pillboxes etc. As for cleaning a Fused Glass Faux Bloodstone, clean with a jewelry cloth, alcohol, and water. Additionally if Fused Glass is scratched, it can normally be repaired without much additional cost, as for an actual gemstone they are not as easy to fix.
Please let me know if you would like a Fused Glass Bloodstone. If you would like something other than a pendant i.e., a wine stopper, night light, etc., just email me and I can create a custom fused glass piece.
I’m creating fused glass for each month’s birthstone so my next blog will cover aquamarines.
Keeping my Kiln warm
Karen
