Magnetite Gemstone: Properties, Meaning, Uses, and More!

Magnetite is a black mineral that acts as a significant source of iron. It often has shades of intense black, and the cool magnetite luster is reminiscent of the juicy shine of ripe blackberry. 

Magnetite color is primarily black, but these mysterious black gemstones sometimes come in dark grey and brown shades, due to oxidation. 

If you want to add some intrigue to your look, magnetite stone’s intense darkness might even offer a mystical vibe to your outfit. What is so special about magnetite, besides its lavish, dark color?

For starters, you can find tiny magnetite crystals in brains! Yes, you read that right: human brains! These minerals naturally occur in trace amounts within the human body. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg! Join us on a journey through the magnetite spiritual meaning, magnetic qualities, history, uses, and more!

Credit: By Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0

What is Magnetite Stone?

The magnetite mineral group encompasses iron oxide minerals, and is thus a common source of iron. You can find magnetite in many different rocks — igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. The stone has also appeared in some meteorites that fell from space! 

Is magnetite a precious stone? Not quite. This stone is a mineral that may be used as a semi-precious gemstone! 

What is magnetite known as? Upon hearing the name, you might associate magnetite with magnets. Well, the name isn’t a coincidence!

So, is magnetite magnetic then? Yes! Magnetite is one of the most magnetic rocks, one reason why W. Haidinger coined its name “magnetite” in 1845. Moreover, the magnetite crystal meaning has ties to Greece! Haidinger discovered magnetite in a small Greek town named Magnesia. 

Magnetite doesn’t discriminate across the sun signs — Aries, Virgo, Capricorn, and Aquarius can all use magnetite as their zodiac stone! We can think of many magnetite crystal properties that each sign would happily soak up, but more on that later. 

Mineral Characteristics

Magnetite is a rock mineral with a significant amount of iron (72%). The magnetite formula, or chemical composition, is Fe3O4. Like its cousin hematite, magnetite is an iron oxide with a shiny, glassy luster. 

For such a tough-looking stone, magnetite has a modest 5-6.5 ranking on the Mohs mineral hardness scale, similar to obsidian and opal.

Credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0

Magnetite Specifications and Characteristics

• Color: Rich, metallic black or gray that can fade to dark brown shades

• Crystal structure: Hexagonal

• Luster: Metallic to submetallic

• Transparency: Usually opaque

• Refractive index: 2.42

• Density: 5.17-5.18

• Clarity: Opaque

• Cleavage: Imperfect/Fair

• Fracture: None, but sometimes exhibits parting

• Streak: Black

Magnetite may be a softy Mohs-wise, but don’t let that deter you from considering the stone as a jewelry option. What it lacks in physical strength, it makes up for in magnetism and healing benefits!

That said, what are the magnetite uses for healing?

Magnetite Healing Properties

Could a magnetic stone that appears in our brain and in space pose any healing benefits? Surprisingly, yes! So, what is magnetite used for? This healing stone offers powerful grounding qualities and especially supports your emotional health. 

So, what can magnetite do? Let’s find out!

Physical Healing

Scientists and medical professionals have explored the idea of magnetic therapy to heal bodily ailments. While studies show some potential, the results are often inconclusive. 

Magnetic therapy entails placing magnets on your body to balance your body’s natural magnetic field. Some tests have shown that magnets influence cell signals in ions like calcium and potassium. 

Crystal healers purport that the stone’s magnetic properties can offer physical relief from health issues like:

• Arthritis

• Wound pain

• Insomnia

• Headaches

The health benefits don’t end here, though! What is magnetite good for in the emotional realm? 

Emotional Healing

Have you felt angry lately? Maybe it’s the state of the world, a fight with a loved one, or an internet connection that won’t stop lagging! Regardless of the source, magnetite is here to help. Crystal healers swear by magnetite as a solution to negative emotions like anger!

This grounding stone is also known to reflect its physical magnetic properties in the spiritual realm, attracting good energies and repelling bad ones. 

What are some other magnetite stone benefits for emotional health? This stone acts as a soothing companion during grief, heartbreak, or fear of uncertainty. Plus, it can add some warmth to your love life! 

Has online dating and potential for catfishing made you weary of looking for love?  Unfortunately, magnetite won’t prevent catfishing, but crystal healers swear by its powerful properties for attracting love, commitment, and loyalty!

Aspiring crystal healer, beware! You don’t want your magnetite stone to feel burnt out. Just like you sometimes need some rejuvenation to continue performing your best, crystals require some TLC to keep those healing properties activated. 

To keep your magnetite healing properties potent, consider a crystal cleanse. Wondering how to cleanse magnetite jewelry? It’s easy. To cleanse your crystal, light some sage, palo santo, or rosemary to wake up the healing energies within the stone. Some crystal healers cleanse or “charge” their stones by leaving them under the moonlight, too. 

Magnetite grounds the soul and helps you trust your intuition. No matter what you’re feeling, magnetite can offer you some comfort and confidence. 

Magnetite Chakra Healing

Have you ever gone for a professional massage? Pressure points along your body link to different tissues and organs, and masseuses use those pressure points to relieve back pain and other ailments.

Now, imagine those pressure points, but for your soul — that describes chakras! Chakras are vibrating, mystical pressure points, or energy centers connecting different aspects of your life and wellbeing. 

Like painful muscle knots, your spiritual self can get similar knots when your chakras are blocked. 

A grounding, magnetic stone like magnetite is like a full-body massage for your chakras. Magnetite helps you align and open up all of your chakras, not just one. This means full mind-body-spirit balance and healing!

A touch of magnetite opens your third-eye chakra, helping you trust your intuition and connecting you with a higher self. Moving down the body, magnetite massages your root chakra, encouraging you to ground your emotions and let go of troublesome thoughts and feelings. 

Magnetite Gemstone Properties

Wondering how gem sellers figure out how to price the gemstones we love? Certain properties affect a stone’s value, like cut, color, and clarity. For magnetite gemstones, value comes down to their color and cut. 

Color

Besides the common black variety with metallic luster, you might see mossy green stones sold as magnetite — these are combinations of epidote and magnetite, producing a striking contrast between black and green!

Other magnetite stones have dark brown shades from oxidation, but most magnetite is black and non-fluorescent. 

Cut

Jewelers can choose many different cuts for magnetite stones, from cabochon pendants to faceted rings. Raw magnetite is also popular, offering a rustic style to necklaces and decor for bigger specimens. 

Faceted cuts are standard on the market, but they’re more expensive. Why? First, magnetite’s imperfect cleavage makes faceted cuts difficult for lapidarists (gem cutters), resulting in more labor to achieve a faceted cut. Second, faceted cuts often showcase fluorescence, and magnetites with fluorescence are rarer.

Beaded magnetite bracelets are a popular choice, showcasing supple, round stones resembling sophisticated caviar while also offering a down-to-earth, grounded feel. 

Magnetite Origins and Sources

Magnetite is a diverse stone, forming through various earthly processes. Usually, it occurs in igneous rocks, when magma cools down and forms iron magnetite crystals. You may also find them in sedimentary rock, where they take shape in banded iron layers under the wet floor of a lake. 

Remember how magnetite may show up in the human brain? Scientists have studied the phenomena, and some results show that iron oxide appears in crystalline form within the cerebellum and brainstem. Some researchers posit that iron oxide appears naturally in the brains of all organisms, from bacteria to humans, to help us sense the earth’s magnetic field. That may explain how birds just… know where to go! 

Other scientists attribute magnetite brain content to industrial pollution (yikes!), when we inhale iron, nickel, and other metals from poor-quality air. 

Those are the earthly origins, but this stone surpasses our planetary limits! Magnetite has also appeared in meteorites!

These magnetic black orbs seem ever-present — but where is magnetite found on earth?

Magnetite Mining Locations

For a stone that appears in space, brains, lakes, and off the coast of volcanoes… magnetite crystal is predictably common! 

You can find large batches of these crystals in sand — and not little grains peppering a predominantly brown beach. There are entirely black beaches around the world filled with magnetite! California has a couple of these beaches, and so does northern New Zealand. 

Other places you can find magnetite deposits include:

• Hong Kong

• Australia

• Chile

• Mauritania

• Sweden

• Uruguay

• Peru

• Norway

• Italy

• Switzerland

• South Africa

• Indonesia

• United States (California, Utah, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Colorado)

• Germany

• Tanzania

Peru is home to giant black dunes reaching almost 6,600 feet high, made up of 10% magnetite. Tanzanian magnetite deposits are so magnetic, they affect compass navigation! 

While most magnetite stones form as hexagonal crystals, some appear with a cubic habit (with various shapes) and even near-perfect, large cubes. These magnetite specimens are rare, only found in New York and Sweden. 

With all this knowledge, it’s time to decide on your piece — but first, what is magnetite worth?

Magnetite Stone Price and Value

Looking for a fetch jewelry piece that scores you style points and savings? Lucky for you, the magnetite stone price is quite affordable. Magnetite specimens, either solo or mixed with other gemstones like epidote, range between a mere $0.09-$0.20 per carat!

Smooth cabochon-cut magnetite is also pretty cost-effective, albeit more expensive than your average magnetite stone. You can find cabochon cuts from $0.20-$0.50. 

Within those price ranges, you can also find magnetite stones with striking, gold pyrite inclusions! Now that you’re versed with magnetite pricing, you should know how to take care of your precious crystal once you buy it!

Magnetite Care and Maintenance

Remember magnetite’s modest Mohs ranking? Because magnetite hardness is fairly weak, it can easily scratch. Avoid letting it contact other jewelry or harder gemstones, or doing any strenuous activity while wearing magnetite jewelry.

To clean your magnetite jewelry, use a soft cloth with lukewarm water, and a mild soap. Dry it immediately, and store it in a dry place to prevent rusting. 

Unfortunately, magnetite’s deep black coloring tends to shift to an undesirable yellow-brown from rust if you keep it in a moist place or submerge it in water. To prevent rust, always dry your magnetite thoroughly after you wash it. But if your stones rust a little, don’t worry. You can remove the rust by soaking the stone in a solvent like hydrochloric acid, though you shouldn’t make that a habit -— too much solvent use may damage the stone over time.

Now that you know how to care for your magnetite, go ahead and rock that cute beaded magnetite bracelet or magnetite stone ring!

Magnetized by Magnetite Gemstones?

Magnetite is a magnetic gem, both scientifically and spiritually. Its full-chakra activation and emotional soothing will bring you closer to Mother Earth, and its deep black hue means any magnetite jewelry has style points for sophistication and intrigue! 

Ready to look ultra-stylish and attract good vibes? Shop magnetite stones for sale today!