33 - Large Piece of a Naturally Magnetic Lodestone (Magnetite)

Large Piece of a Naturally Magnetic Lodestone (Magnetite) Lodestones (Fe3O4) are naturally occurring magnets, which can attract iron, magnetized pieces of the mineral magnetite, often with impurity metal ions of titanium, aluminium, and manganese. Weight: ca. 25.45 kilo. LOCATION: East Africa. Size: ca. 52.5 x 41.5 x 29.5 cm. NOTE: – Lodestone, also known as magnetite, magnetized hematite and ‘Tzuh Shih’, which means “loving stones” in Chinese, or simply natural magnets; have been a fixture in sacred arts for thousands of years. Lodestones are the first magnets and they have teach us throughout the ages about the magic of magnetic and then electromagnetic fields that surround all objects. A lodestone and an iron needle most likely created the first compass, an event that would, centuries later, allow us to “discover” that the earth itself is a giant magnet. – Naturally occurring lodestones are mostly made of magnetite but have many other oxides and materials in them as well. How they form is still a mystery but the best guess is lightning strikes that send an electrical current through the rocks. There are places in the world that have a greater amount of lodestones as well as places that seem to have none. The physical properties of these stones are pretty basic. They are geologically described as magnetite and are made up of iron and oxygen with a chemical formula of Fe3O4. Hematite is an iron oxide. – The word lodestone came into use around 1500 A.D. when these natural magnets were commonly used for navigation (the word lode is old English meaning “to lead” or “to guide”). Before they were called lodestones these rocks were simply referred to as magnets. The word magnet comes down to us from the ancient Greeks – some scholars believe the stones were found frequently in Magnesia. – Lodestone or magnetite is black or brownish-black with a black streak, with a metallic lustre and a Mohs hardness of 5.5 - 6.5.