Is bloodstone a jasper?
Bloodstone, or heliotrope, is dark green jasper with red iron-oxide spots and a variety of chalcedony (GIA): quartz, SiO2, hardness 6.5 to 7, with no IMA row.
Yes, and it is also a chalcedony; the two labels are nested, not rival. GIA calls bloodstone, or heliotrope, a variety of chalcedony that is traditionally semi-translucent to opaque dark green jasper with red iron-oxide inclusions, especially hematite. Both words mean microcrystalline quartz, SiO2: hardness 6.5 to 7, SG 2.55 to 2.91 (IGS), with no IMA row for either name.
In short
- The label ledger. Five passages that name bloodstone, from three publishers, were read for how they file it. GIA’s bloodstone description: a variety of chalcedony and dark green jasper, in one sentence. The International Gem Society jasper article: a jasper named for its colour. The International Gem Society chalcedony article and International Gem Society quartz article: plasma with red spots of iron oxide, plasma being a green chalcedony. The USGS gemstones list: listed under the cryptocrystalline varieties of silica, chalcedony and jasper. All five land inside quartz.
- The words are nested. IGS calls jasper an opaque, solid or patterned variety of cryptocrystalline quartz, and its jasper properties panel says variety of chalcedony. On those definitions every jasper is a chalcedony, and an opaque bloodstone is both.
- The spot rule. IGS defines plasma as a dark green chalcedony, opaque from densely packed actinolite crystals, and bloodstone as plasma with red and orange spots of iron oxide; GIA names the iron oxide as especially hematite. Red spots make it bloodstone; without them it is plasma.
- Documented failure: no measurement chooses between jasper and chalcedony. IGS prints the same hardness 7, RI 1.540 to 1.553 and SG 2.55 to 2.91 in both panels. A 20.00 g bloodstone reads 12.16 to 13.13 g in water on that range, which contains quartz’s 12.45 g. The choice of word is a matter of opacity and usage, not of a test.
- No IMA row. A whole-word, case-insensitive scan of every line of the September 2026 IMA-CNMNC Master List finds no line containing bloodstone, heliotrope, jasper, plasma or chalcedony. The species is quartz, SiO2, status A, 1967 s.p.
| Source passage | What it calls bloodstone | Jasper? | Chalcedony? | Quartz? | Hardness and SG given |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIA bloodstone description | A variety of chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz) that is traditionally semi-translucent to opaque dark green jasper with red inclusions of iron oxides, especially hematite; also known as heliotrope | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mohs 6.5 to 7 |
| IGS jasper article | A jasper name that comes from colour, with green and lemon; most bloodstone comes from India | Yes | Yes, via its panel: jasper is a variety of chalcedony | Yes | 7; SG 2.55 to 2.91 |
| IGS chalcedony article | Bloodstone, or heliotrope, is plasma with red and orange spots of iron oxide; listed among chalcedony varieties | Not used | Yes | Yes, via its panel: variety of quartz | 7; SG 2.55 to 2.91 |
| IGS quartz article | Also known as heliotrope, dark green plasma with blood-red and orange spots of iron oxides; the same article says solid-coloured chalcedony stained by oxides is referred to as jasper | Not used for bloodstone | Yes, in its cryptocrystalline quartz family | Yes | Not in this passage |
| IGS false-names list | Not named; files jasper as “( chalcedony )” in the German lapis entry | - | Jasper inside chalcedony | - | - |
| USGS gemstones list | “Bloodstone or heliotrope”, under cryptocrystalline varieties of silica: chalcedony and jasper | Grouped with | Grouped with | Yes, in the quartz entry | Not given |
| IMA list, September 2026 | No row for bloodstone, heliotrope, jasper, plasma or chalcedony (script) | - | - | Quartz row: SiO2, A, 1967 s.p. | - |
Is bloodstone a jasper or a chalcedony? Both, and the words nest
Bloodstone is both: jasper is the word for opaque chalcedony, and bloodstone is a dark green, usually opaque chalcedony with red spots. GIA’s bloodstone description puts it in one sentence: bloodstone, also known as heliotrope, is a variety of chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz) that is traditionally semi-translucent to opaque dark green jasper with red inclusions of iron oxides, especially hematite. GIA gives it a Mohs hardness of 6.5 to 7.
How IGS nests the words. The International Gem Society jasper article defines jasper as an opaque, solid or patterned variety of cryptocrystalline quartz consisting of very tiny quartz crystals coloured by various mineral impurities, and says jasper names can come from colour, naming bloodstone, green and lemon. Its properties panel reads variety of chalcedony. The International Gem Society chalcedony article lists jasper and bloodstone among the varieties of chalcedony, and its panel reads variety of quartz. The International Gem Society quartz article says the same in other words: the solid-coloured materials are mostly chalcedony stained by oxides and are referred to as jaspers. So the chain, on IGS’s own definitions, is quartz, then chalcedony, then jasper for the opaque kinds.
Who each word is wrong for. On IGS’s definition of jasper as opaque, jasper is wrong for a bloodstone that is translucent at the edges, which GIA’s semi-translucent allows. Chalcedony is never wrong, on any source read here. Neither is a mineral species; whether chalcedony counts as quartz, and the visible-crystal rule for choosing the word, are on is chalcedony quartz and are not repeated here.
What makes a stone bloodstone and not plasma or green jasper? The spot rule
The red spots: bloodstone is plasma with red and orange spots of iron oxide, on the International Gem Society chalcedony article’s definition. Plasma itself is a dark green chalcedony, frequently with white or yellowish spots, opaque because of densely packed actinolite crystals, on the same article. The International Gem Society quartz article says the same: bloodstone, also known as heliotrope, consists of dark green plasma with blood-red and orange spots of iron oxides.
The rule, as a decision. Dark green, opaque, with red spots: bloodstone or heliotrope. Dark green, opaque, without red spots: plasma, which the IGS jasper panel also lists as a jasper variety. Translucent green, without spots: prase, a green or yellowish green chalcedony, or chrysoprase; the second is on is chrysoprase chalcedony. Green and sparkling with small reflective crystals: aventurine, a quartzite, on is aventurine a quartz.
What the rule does not claim. GIA and IGS name what the green and the red spots are made of, actinolite and iron oxides, especially hematite; neither page measures the colour, and this page states no colour cause beyond their words. Dyed stones are a separate question, on how to tell if a crystal is dyed.
Can a test tell jasper from chalcedony? A documented failure
No measurement in the sources read here separates the two words: IGS prints identical hardness, refractive index and specific gravity in its jasper and chalcedony panels. Both read hardness 7, RI 1.540 to 1.553 and SG 2.55 to 2.91. Worked as 20 − 20/SG, a 20.00 g piece reads 12.16 to 13.13 g in water on that range, and the range contains crystal quartz’s 12.45 g at D 2.65 from the Handbook quartz sheet. The method is on how to measure specific gravity at home.
Even the sub-names cross over. IGS lists plasma among the varieties of jasper in its jasper panel and describes plasma as a chalcedony in its chalcedony and quartz articles. The USGS gemstones list puts bloodstone or heliotrope, plasma, prase and jasper together under one heading, the cryptocrystalline varieties of silica, chalcedony and jasper.
The quotable line. Bloodstone is quartz whichever word is used: jasper describes how opaque it is, chalcedony how fine-grained, and neither is a test result. The quartz numbers are on quartz and the chalcedony composition on chalcedony.
Where does bloodstone come from?
GIA and IGS both name India as the main source. GIA says most bloodstone in the marketplace today is from India, with more from parts of Brazil, Australia, China and the United States, among other countries, and that it fills fractures or cavities in other rocks or is found as pebbles in riverbeds. The IGS jasper article says most bloodstone comes from India; its chalcedony article lists bloodstone sources as Australia, Brazil, India and the United States. These are gem-trade source lists; bloodstone has no Handbook sheet and so no Distribution field.
How it is cut. GIA says bloodstones used as gems are typically cut as cabochons, though some are faceted. Jasper in general, on IGS, is usually cabbed, sometimes carved, seldom faceted.
On a specimen label. Quartz (bloodstone) or chalcedony (bloodstone) are both correct; jasper (bloodstone) is correct for an opaque piece. Lore and symbolism are out of scope here. More classification guides are in the collecting guides. Nothing on this site is offered for sale; the wanted list is the only commercial route.