August 22nd, 2007
Gemstone of the Day: Iolite
I’ve chosen iolite as my next gemstone to discuss simply because I don’t know much about it myself, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn!
Iolite is a fairly affordable blue gemstone. The iolite I have seen available ranges in color from a light periwinkle blue to a deep violet-blue color. I’ve also seen iolite that is dyed to a deeper blue color. It is the gem variety of the mineral cordierite, which is a magnesium aluminum silicate. (It is a cyclosilicate in the beryl group, for those interested.) Iolite forms in igneous and metamorphic rocks. It has a hardness of 7 on Moh’s hardness scale (the same as quartz).
Iolite is mined in India, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, and Brazil.
From kaijewels.com: “Iolite is believed to be the gemstone of happiness and joy. It is also believed to possess Feng Shui properties that help build relationships with others. For people who believe in the special powers of gemstones, this gemstone is supposed to cure sore throat, varicose veins and various skin eruptions and blisters. We have already mentioned above, the special properties of iolite that gave it the name of the ‘gemstone of the Vikings’. ”
Question of the Day: What is your favorite gemstone?
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I think periwinkle blue is funny.
August 22nd, 2007 at 5:19 pm
How is periwinkle blue funny?
August 23rd, 2007 at 5:57 am
Why is it that iolite beads are almost always faceted? It very hard to find smooth beads. I wonder if there is a specific reason for it.
Iolite is one my top three favorite gemstones, along with labradorite and moonstone.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:17 am
Fire Mountain sells smooth iolite beads.
I like faceted ones better myself. I’ve gotten some nice ones at gem shows.
Labradorite, moonstone, and iolite would look great together, wouldn’t they? Hmmm…
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I love iolite, but I’ve had bad luck with it splitting and cracking! The color is just lovely, though.
August 26th, 2007 at 9:47 am
I haven’t had trouble with iolite splitting, although it does have a cleavage (a plane along which the molecules are weakly bonded, and therefore is likely to cleave), so I’m not surprised that has happened. I have trouble with moonstone and labradorite cleaving.
I forgot to mention that iolite is also known as water sapphire. Of course that name falls into the category of my pet peeves, because I think it’s a misleading name. If you buy something called “water sapphire,” wouldn’t you think that you’re buying a sapphire? Those bad gem trade names!