Bloodstone is one of the oldest known gemstones. It belongs to the chalcedony variety from the quartz family. The name chalcedony is derived from the name of the ancient Greek town Chalkedon in Asia Minor .
Chalcedony is name for a group of stones made of a microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline variety of quartz that formerly referred by the name heliotrope, as the gemstone looked like the fiery red sun setting into the ocean. The name comes from the Greek Helios, for sun. Its hardness according to the Mohs scale is: 6-7. Chalcedony is found in almost every color as it's found worldwide.
