It shines like polished metal, but it really is a stone. A men's hematite bracelet gives your wrist an almost mirror-like steel gray that goes with a watch, with leather and with everything else. Few stones are this easy to wear if you're wary of color.
An iron ore with a red core
Hematite is an iron oxide, one of the main iron ores on the planet. Ground into powder, it turns red, and that hidden red gave it its name, from the Greek word for blood. The Romans placed it under Mars, their god of war. It became the grounding stone above all others, standing for quiet strength and stability.
On its own or as a trio?
Worn solo, the “Grounding Symbol” bracelet lines up 8 or 10 mm beads for a clean, single-tone look. Hematite is also one of the three stones of triple protection, the mix with tiger's eye and black obsidian worn for grounding and confidence. You'll find it on elastic in the “3 Protections” bracelet, or as a braided version that adjusts with a sliding cord. “Triple Grounding” swaps the obsidian for lava stone; “Grounding & Protection” mixes it with tiger's eye, black tourmaline, red jasper, carnelian and bull's eye; “Steady Course” pairs it with black tourmaline and blue tiger's eye, a dyed stone, as its product page states.
Showers and storage: what to do
Don't soak hematite: over time, water dulls its shine. Take your bracelet off before a shower, bath or swim, then polish it with a soft, dry cloth. With a hardness of 5 to 6, it scratches more easily than quartz, so keep it in its linen pouch, away from harder pieces. Our guide to caring for a triple protection bracelet goes through each stone in turn.
More to explore: all our hematite jewelry, our men's bracelets, our lava stone jewelry and our article on hematite. And if the shine doesn't win you over, you have 30 days to change your mind.
