Iolite (Cordierite)

Item Description

Iolite is the purple/blue gem variety of the mineral Cordierite. A lot of Cordierite you'll see is opaque and dull, but when it's transparent and colorful it's almost like you're looking at another species. Iolite translated from Greek literally means "violet stone". These gems are sometimes known as "water Sapphire" in various corners of the gem world. Iolite is strongly pleochroic and shows a strong blue color one direction, a violet color another direction, and a yellowish color in the third direction. This particular gem is from Brazil, and is a great example of this classic material. The stone is only very very slightly included with a "Round Brilliant" cut, and it does show godd pleochroism when rotated on its various axis, but it's hard to illustrate in the photo/video.