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 Iolite

Iolite has been know for thousands of years and was named
by the Greeks, the name means violet.
 

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 in. The important thing to consider with Iolite is its pleochroism;
this means that Iolite can be seen as different colors depending on how you
look at the stone. This distinctive attribute has made Iolite extremely practical to
ancient sailors who would sail the seas without the sight of land.

the Vikings used Iolite when plotting their course with the help of the sun.
They needed to look at the sun for an extended amount of time to figure out the degrees.
While looking directly into the sun was not safe and impractical, they used Iolite. When looking
at Iolite, one side is usually blue or bluish violet, the other side of the stone when looked through
is usually transparent like water, the third side of the stone is actually a polarized filter, it has a yellow,
almost honey color to it. Iolite can be known as the first sunglasses

Iolite is a wonderfully warm bluish violet mineral that is quite common and
found in many parts of the world. Iolite has had along history and was
known since the times of the Ancient Greeks.
mainly comes in two to three colors, mainly shades of violet blue
or purple. However bluish violet is usually the most common of the colors
 

Iolite is very attractive gemstone that has been known to man for thousands of years.
While not as popular as the other types of gemstones, Iolite has become more popular
in recent years, especially to those that are looking for a beautiful blue, violet or purple stone.

Iolite is made from magnesium, iron, aluminum and silicate. Besides these elements,
beryl minerals can also be found associated with it. Iolite comes in crystal form and its
main attribute is its attractive color. Iolite is known as a beautiful bluish violet or even purple stone.
The name Iolite comes from Greek, meaning violet.

Iolite is common in many regions; however it is mined in a few regions around the
world. For the most part, Iolite is found and mined in India, Sri Lanka, Mozambique,
Zimbabwe, Brazil and even Connecticut.

Usually the more blue, the more in demand the stone is. It is sometimes confused with
blue sapphire. Iolite is distinctive for having two separate colors when looked through,
this effect is called pleochroism. It is essentially a polarization filter. Sailors would use
Iolite when staring at the sun to get a course direction. In fact, famous Vikings such
as Leif Eriksson used Iolite on their trips from Norway to Newfoundland.
 

Iolite and opals

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