Properties of Stones and Crystals

Find out what the stone you bought from me does!

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Michigan's Upper Penninsula has a wide variety of stones and metals that can be found on beaches, mine tailings, in fields, just about anywhere.

I already covered my favorite, hematite, and other iron mineral/stones. On this page you'll find info on stones found in the Upper Pennisula. I'm most familiar with what is found in mine tailings so those will be added first.

Jacobsville Sandstone

Jacobsville Sandstone is a red sandstone formation, marked with light-colored streaks and spots, primarily found in northern Upper Michigan, portions of Ontario, and under much of Lake Superior. Desired for its durability and aesthetics, the sandstone was used as an architectural building stone in both Canada and the United States. The stone was extracted by thirty-two quarries throughout the Upper Peninsula of Michigan approximately between 1870 and 1915.

The sandstone has been variously called redstone, brownstone, Lake Superior Sandstone, and Eastern Sandstone. In 1907, the Jacobsville Formation was given its current classification and the name Jacobsville, in honor of Jacobsville, Michigan, a town known for its production of the sandstone. The two main varieties of Jacobsville Sandstone that were quarried were redstone and brownstone. Redstone came from the Jacobsville area, in both uniform and variegated varieties. A purplish-brown variety of brownstone known as rain-drop, so named for its wet appearance, was described as the "most handsome stone quarried on Lake Superior." Brownstone and rain-drop were supplied from Marquette, however, supplies were generally limited. Until the early 1900s, Jacobsville Sandstone was popularly known as Lake Superior Sandstone, brownstone or redstone and prefixed by the location in which it was quarried, such as Marquette and Portage Entry (e.g., Marquette brownstone).

Several buildings in the Upper Peninsula and across the United States and Ontario, Canada incorporate Jacobsville Sandstone in their construction. In the Upper Peninsula, these buildings include The Calumet Theatre, Saint Ignatius Loyola Church, and several buildings in the Quincy Street Historic District. Elsewhere, the sandstone was used in the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Jacobsville Sandstone was popular as a building material because of its strength, durability and aesthetic appeal. In particular, it is resistant to the extremes in temperature of fire and the freeze-thaw cycle of northern climates.The Mining Journal of Marquette reported on November 20, 1875, that: "its fire-proof qualities were thoroughly tested in the great Chicago fire, where Lake Superior brownstone walls ... stood intact, without a crack, scale or blemish being caused by the great heat under the influence of which marble fronts crumbled and fell to the ground."

Jacobsville Sandstone is generally red, due to small quantities of iron oxides, mottled with various pinks, whites and browns. The sandstone exhibits many white streaks and spherical spots, caused by leaching and bleaching, which form sharp boundaries with surrounding colors. Its lithology varies from quartz-rich to feldspar-rich sandstone and shale. The formation consists of four distinct facies: conglomerate, lenticular sandstone, massive sandstone, and red siltstone.

The sandstone is well-cemented and contains no glacial deposits and no fossils. The grains of Jacobsville Sandstone range from .25 to .5 mm (0.0098 to 0.0197 in) in size. Based on an average from samples taken in Marquette and Alger counties, Jacobsville Sandstone is composed of: 27.4% nonundulatory quartz, 27.0% undulatory quartz, 23.0% potassium feldspar, and 12.3% silicic volcanic clasts. Smaller constituents are 3.8% polycrystalline quartz, 2.4% metamorphic, 1.4% sedimentary, 1.3% opaque, 0.8% mafic volcanic, and 0.1% plagioclase. Jacobsville Sandstone's heavy mineral suite is 84% ilmenite, 4-5% leucoxene, 4% garnet, 3% apatite, 3% zircon, and 1% tourmaline.

Metaphysical properties:

Because Sandstone is created by either wind or water, it is often called a “stone of creativity”. It strengthens relationships within groups, both at home and the workplace. Use Sandstone to keep you from getting distracted, especially during mediation. A cheerful stone, Sandstone keeps those annoying tantrums and mood swings under control. When used on the Sacral chakra, Sandstone can help you discern the truth among those around you and to keep your mind clear when making decisions.

Physically, Sandstone can help strengthen bones, nails and hair. It is also helpful with disorders of the eyes as well as water retention.

Properties
Calming, centering, balancing, encourages charitable actions, orginial thinking, manifesting thoughts into form Aligns with diving timing. Patience, consistency, loyalty, detoxification.

still creating this page....check back for updates

Specular Hematite FE2 O3
Iron with impurities
Streak: red to redish brown
Color: silver, shiny
AKA: micaceous hematite,

Specular hematite has a metallic luster and appears to be a rock composed of shiny mica flakes. Instead those flakes are hematite. Even though this hematite has a silver color, it still produces a reddish streak - which is a key to hematite's identification. Hardness testing on specular hematite is difficult because the specimens tend to crumble.

"Hematite is not magnetic and should not respond to a common magnet. However, many specimens of hematite contain enough magnetite that they are attracted to a common magnet. This can lead to an incorrect assumption that the specimen is magnetite or the weakly magnetic pyrrhotite. The investigator must check other properties to make a proper identification.
If the investigator checks the streak, a reddish streak will rule out identification as magnetite or pyrrhotite. Instead, if the specimen is magnetic and has a reddish streak, it is most likely a combination of hematite and magnetite." From geology.com

Most of the information on hematite applies to specular also, including how it formed and where it can be found.

Hematite Novelties:

Products called "magnetic hematite" and "iridescent hematite" are often offered for sale in gift, tourist, novelty, and science shops and their websites. Most of the time these materials are not hematite but are man-made materials that do not even have the same chemical composition as hematite. Buy them if you like them but not because you think that you are getting a unique mineral specimen.

Sidenote: there is such a thing as iridescent hematite in nature, but you will only find the real thing sold as a raw mineral, not as a shiny polished bead or stone.

Magnetite FE3 O4
Purest iron
Hardness: 5-6
Streak: black
Color: black, grey, metalic
AKA: lodestone

Because they are both iron ore, hematite and magnetite look identical with one big difference: magnetisim. Magnetite is best known for its property of being strongly attracted to magnets. Some forms of magnetite from specific localities are in fact themselves magnets. Commonly known as Lodestone, this magnetic form of magnetite is the only mineral that is a natural magnet. Due to the magnetism of lodestone, small iron particles are often found clinging to its surfaces. (Some dealers may even intentionally place metallic filings on a lodestone to demonstrate its magnetism.)

"When the earth formed, the heavier metals, such as iron, were pulled by gravity into the planet's core, where the Earth's magnetic field is generated. The earliest compasses had pieces of magnetite.
Although magnetite contains a higher percentage of iron and is easier to process, hematite is the leading ore because it is more abundant and present in deposits in many parts of the world." --geology.com

Both hematite and magnetite are often found banded with other materials, such as chert or quartz. Some of the pieces I brought back from the UP are like this, a magnet will stick to only one band on the rock. I found out that this combination is called taconite, but sadly is being crusted so that the iron ore can be used.

"Most of the iron ore mined today is a banded sedimentary rock known as taconite that contains a mixture of magnetite, hematite, and chert. Once considered a waste material, taconite became an important ore after higher grade deposits were depleted. Today's commercial taconites contain 25 to 30% iron by weight.
At the mine site, the taconite ore is ground to a fine powder, and strong magnets are used to separate magnetically susceptible particles containing magnetite and hematite from the chert. The concentrate is then mixed with small amounts of limestone and clay, then rolled into small round pellets. These pellets are easy to handle and transport by ship, rail, or truck. They can be directly loaded into a blast furnace at a mill and be used to produce iron or steel." --Geology.com

"Uses:
The abrasive known as "emery" is a natural mixture of magnetite and corundum. Some synthetic emery is produced by mixing magnetite with aluminum oxide particles. The production of synthetic emery gives the manufacturer control over the particle size and the relative abundance of aluminum oxide and magnetite in the product. Some finely ground magnetite is also used as an abrasive in waterjet cutting. In the past few decades, synthetic abrasives have filled many of the applications where magnetite was previously used.
Small amounts of magnetite are also used as a toner in electrophotography, as a micronutrient in fertilizers, as a pigment in paints, and as an aggregate in high-density concrete". -geologyl.com

Metaphysical Properties:
Helps remain in harmony with the planet.
Help avoid loss of direction, find the right path
Best at neutralizing the environmental pollution of modern urban living
Turn bad situations around
Aligns chakras. Realigns body with electromagnetic field of the planet
Releases stress, grounds, and energizes.

Many stones and crystals get their red color from the presence of hematite. My personal favorite is iron quartz, or as I call it, hematized quartz.

I have found myself drawn to stones only to find out later that there is hematite present in it. I do not like orange, but an orange aventurine heart caught my eye. I looked up info on it and found out that it was hematite that gave it that color. I wear that heart almost daily. You can find red jasper in the UP, the color coming from hematite. And those beautiful Lake Superior agates...guess where their red color comes from? Yep, hematite.

Iron Quartz
AKA Ferruginous Quartz or Hemitized Quartz
Found where there is the presence of iron oxides. Looks like dirty, stained, brownish rock crystal or a vibrant brick red or orange crystal. Can be opaque and dull, or clear with areas or veils of reddish coloring. Sometimes sold as Tangerine Quartz.

Powerful healing crystal, bringing together the supernatural clarity of clear quartz with earthy blood red iron. Optimizes blood circulation and helps to restore energy.

Access the hidden energy of nature. Encourages practical effective action. Reveals fine or subtle energies. Grounds one in the here and now.

One of my favorites, there are some beautiful specimens found in the Lake Superior area.