Lodestone: Magnetic iron ore use to "draw" money, luck, or whatever is desired.

Lodestones -- chunks of naturally magnetic iron ore -- are prized in folk-magic for their "drawing" power. They are a vital ingredient in African-American hoodoo practice, and that has in turn influenced Latin American "budu" magic, in which they are known as "piedra iman."

Single large lodestones are used to draw money or luck, while paired "male" and "female" lodestones play a role in spells to attract a lover and rituals to secure mutual fidelity. The lodestones are sprinkled with magnetic sand (ultra-fine iron shot) to "feed" them and enhance their power, and they may also be dressed with anointing oil.

Smaller lodestones of gravel size, dressed with magnetic sand, are carried singly or in pairs in mojo bags to attract luck and love; tiny pairs are placed in bottles of Van Van Oil, Lodestone Oil or Fast Luck Oil to "charge" the oils before they are used to dress offertory candles or anoint an individual.

In Latin America, lodestones are most commonly encountered in money-drawing and love-attracting package amulets and charm vials. Lodestone powder or magnetic sand also appears in the unusual Mexican snow-globe pyramid of luck.

The old-time advertisement shown above -- for Genuine Mo-Jo Brand Magnetic White Lodestone -- is from King Novelty Company Catalog #89 (copyright 1945), and was donated to the Lucky W Amulet Archive by Barry (Blues Boy) Carroll.

King Novelty, like its sister companies, Famous Products (makers of Lucky Brown cosmetics) and Valmor Beauty Co. (makers of Sweet Georgia Brown cosmetics), and its competitors Jan-O-Sun (makers of hoodoo and Christian religious candles) and Standard O and B Supply Company (a competing distributor of hoodoo and Christian religious "curios," herbs, candles, and books), was located in Chicago and marketed its wares nation-wide to the African-American community.