Iolite Stone Beads
Iolite
beads have been using for last couple of years with a lot of
admiration. These iolite beads are also well known as "water
sapphire". The attractive and lucrative purple color of these
beads have made these beads attractive. These beads gave global
popularity. For the jewelry manufacturers, these beads are very much
attractive because these beads have distinctive pleochroism
mechanism. In ornaments, these beads give a royal touch. Apart from
jewelry, these beads were also used as a polarizing tool by the
ancient navigators. The principle features of these beads are:
- These Iolite beads are extremely chronicled in nature.
- These beads are very good for jewelry.
- The color of these beads keeps on changing from very dark shade to light shade.
- The sources of the occurrence of these beads are India, Sri Lanka and Madagascar.
Iolite Stone
Chemical Formula: Mg2Al3O
Mineral Name: Iolite
Color: Transparent, violet-blue, light blue, blue, rich blue-violet stone
Hardness: 7.5
Iolite is a silicate of alumina, iron, and magnesia, having a bright blue color and vitreous luster; cordierite. The name iolite comes from the Greek ios, which means violet. Iolite is a blue silicate mineral that occurs as crystals or grains in igneous rocks, only as a result of contamination of the magma by aluminous sediment. The property that made iolite so valuable to the Vikings is extreme pleochroism. Iolite has different colors in different directions in the crystal. The gemstone changes colors depending upon which angle it is viewed from.
Iolite, known as the Vikings' compass, due to it's ability to determine the direction of the sun on overcast days. When the legendary Viking mariners sailed the wide ocean, they used thin pieces of iolite as the world's first polarizing filter. Looking through an iolite lens, they could determine the exact position of the sun, and navigate safely.
Synthetic magnesium iolite has a low thermal expansion and is used as a semirefractory material because of its resistance to thermal shock. Iolite is artistically used in making necklaces, pendants, rings, bracelets etc. Iolite is commonly cut into traditional shapes, and its most desirable color is a rich violet-blue. It is found in the regions of Sri Lanka, Burma, India, Madagascar and Brazil.
