Captivating Kyanite

Stunning royal blue, kyanite is a real winner on the gemstone front for me. It is the colour of the best sapphires and of midnight skies. The stone itself is quite an interesting one, geologically. I have decided to give you a little background on the gem and showcase some of the stunning designs on Folksy that use this fantastic gemstone... This sterling silver ring, featuring a dazzling oval kyanite gemstone can be found in my little shop..... The best Kyanite is found in Nepal, at the foot hills of the Himalayas. It is formed under extreme pressure in metamorphic rocks and is a silicate mineral, rich in aluminium. It forms long columnar crystals with a platy crystal structure. It cleaves perfectly in more than one direction and often displays shades and stripes of different shades within the one stone. It is pleochroic - so demonstrates different levels of colour saturation from different angles. It also has more than one hardness, again, depending on the angle the stone it is tested. This means it is a job for skilled crystal cutters to get the best out of the gemstone. If the stone is cut incorrectly, it can be brittle with little colour - not very attractive! Kyanite, pearl and sterling silver necklace by Faith Bowman Kyanite is also known by other names, such as Cyanite, Disthene and Rhaeticite. It also comes in other colours, including shades of green and orange. The orange form has been recently found in Tanzania and this colour is due to tiny amounts of Manganese in its chemical structure. This lovely neckace features kyanite and many other gemstones for a beautiful cool colour expenience. It is by Mike and Pat Cruse. Clear, strongly coloured gems of the best quality tend to be faceted and lower grade - but still stunningly beautiful gems are left as tumbled stones or cut en cabochon. These are generally less saturated in colour, but can be chatoyant or have a cats eye effect - like tigers eye. This lovely bracelet shows the colours of kyanite rreally well. It is by Chikako Haworth. Low grade kyanite has other uses. It is used in the porcelain industry, in electronics and also as an ingredient in some lubricants. This is only a little information about Kyanite, but I hope it has intrigued you enough to read further about the gemstone - if you feel inspired! Thanks so much for looking. Jacqueline x