Natural Iolite Stone

Quality Iolite products from www.gempiece.com

The name iolite is derived from the Greek word "ios" which means violet. The colors of iolite ranges from violet blue, to light blue shades. iolites are also called as poor man's tanzanite for its resembles the tanzanite gemstone. Iolite is called as the "Gemstone of the Vikings", because in ancient times sailors used to see the sun using an iolite lens and navigate their boats accordingly. Iolite was used as a Vikings compass to navigate hence the name.

  The chemical combination of iolite is magnesium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula (Mg2 Al 4 Si5 O18).It is mainly found in igneous rocks. Iolite gemstone is basic mineral family called Cordierite. Iolite is pleochromatic in nature and hence it was also called dichroite in Greek which means twin-colored stone.

  The color is so popular that sometime sit represents the colors of blue sapphire and hence it was also called as "water Sapphire". Iolites are most sought by fashion jewelers for it is one stone which is widely available and the prices are affordable. Iolites are also sometimes available in shades of yellowish gray, blue and light bluish violet. It is widely available in India, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Burma, Tanzania and Brazil.

gempiece.com has a wide range of iolite loose gemstones and also deals with custom jewelry for more than two decades. Please feel free to email us if you have any orders and we most warmly welcome you. We serve certificates from Gubelin, GIA- Gemological Institute of America, AIGS- Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences, Tokyo gem lab, GIT, GRS etc. It has a specific gravity of 2.58 - 2.66 and a refractive index of 1.54 - 1.58. The hardness is 7.0 - 7.5, relatively a hard stone widely sought by jewelers. Due to its strong resistance to thermal shock it is also used as refractory material manufacturing. It enhances money management and is said to relieve the wearer from debts. It is also beloved to enhance vision as it has a polarizing effect.