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Differences Between Magnetic Hematite & Magnetic Titanium

The fact that there is no compelling scientific evidence for the efficacy of magnetic therapies has not stopped it from becoming an industry that makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year, according to the Consumer Warning Network. Prominent among the products sold for their reputed magnetic-therapeutic value is jewelry claiming to be made of either "magnetic hematite" or "magnetic titanium," which must be differentiated from the actual two materials named hematite and titanium.

  1. Titanium and Hematite - Different Materials

    • Titanium is a very strong, very light metal that resists corrosion well. These characteristics have made titanium a favorite among aircraft manufacturers. Titanium's elemental symbol is Ti. Its atomic weight is 22. When processed, titanium has a silvery luster, which makes it attractive for jewelry. Hematite is an iron oxide, with two iron molecules and three oxygen molecules, completely unrelated to titanium. It can be mined and polished to a dark-grey luster, also making it attractive for figurines and jewelry. Neither titanium nor hematite is strongly magnetic.

    K Factors

    • The magnetic properties of metals are measured using something called a K factor. Low K values with negative reaction are called diamagnetic, and have such little reaction to magnetic fields that the reaction is not visible. Low K values with small positive reaction are called paramagnetic. These substances are only slightly visibly reactive to magnetic fields. High K values with strong positive reactions are metals like iron and nickel; their reactions to magnetic fields are dramatic and very visible. These materials are called ferromagnetic. Both titanium and genuine hematite are paramagnetic.

    Magnetic Hematite - Not Titanium, Not Hematite

    • The stuff sold as magnetic hematite, which displays strong or ferromagnetic response, is not hematite at all, but an artificial product made using ceramic, barium, strontium and iron, which is then polished to give it the superficial luster of actual hematite. Because claims that it is hematite could lead to charges of false advertising, names that sound like hematite have been assigned to these artificial substances, like "hemalike," "hemalyke," "hematine," and "magnetic hematine." It is not magnetic titanium, nor is it hematite.

    Magnetic Titanium - Alloy with a Price

    • Likewise, titanium is not naturally, visibly magnetic. Jewelry made with magnetic titanium is using a titanium alloy that includes ferromagnetic metals, like nickel, to amplify its magnetic properties. Titanium is not expensive to produce, because it is one of the most abundant metals on earth. Nickel is also abundant and relatively cheap. However, when it is used in jewelry that makes therapeutic claims, the mineral itself can be made to sound exotic, and prices for some of this jewelry can be very high, with simple bracelets selling routinely for more than $50.

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