More commonly known as “bloodstone,” heliotrope is a combination of dark green chalcedony and red jasper–the “blood” part. So what’s chalcedony? It’s a type of quartz that’s “cryptocrystalline,” as is jasper. When you look at a cryptocrystalline mineral like heliotrope, you just see a smooth surface, not sharp-edged crystals.The jasper is colored red because it has hematite in it, and the chalcedony is colored green by actinolite or chlorite. Along with being an attractive mineral that polishes well, heliotrope has a bit of a mystical aura around it. Ancient Greeks thought it could turn the reflection of the sun red and named it using their words for “sun” and “turn,” early Christians thought the red spots were the blood of Jesus, and there were a whole bunch of other claims about how it could protect you, make you invisible, etc. Nowadays, it just makes nice jewelry.