Iolite is so called gemstone of the Vikings. This stone is very often  mistaken for Tanzanite.Iolite is bluish violet in colour. Some Iolite with  prominent blue colour tones resembles blue sapphire.Iolite gemstones are  quite durable and suited for setting in jewellery with a hardness of 7 to 7.5  on the Moh's scale of hardness.  One of Iolite important feature is called   pleochrosim. This property is possessed by few gemstones causes to   show them in different colours when they are shown form different angles. However this property of the stone makes it difficult to cut the stone and  this need to be cut by an expert so that it is ensured that the gemstones  show the best colours in the part cut. There is an interesting theory about  why this stone is called as stone of Viking.

It is said that Viking while  Looking through the Iolite stone at a certain angle could determine the  exact position of the sun and so never got lost when on the high seas.
Very often Iolite is compared with Tanzanite as both the stone resemble  closely to each other. However Iolite is more durable and due to its  availability it is priced much lower than Tanzanite. Another Reason that  Tanzanite became more famous was the planed marketing of the companies that hiked the cost of the stone to the sky. Experts still  believe  that a good quality of Iolite is more worth buying in comparison  to the Iolite. While buying an Iolite stone Gem one should consider that the best colours are seen from the top of the stones. Only a skill cutter can give Iolite the best colour, which this stone deserves.

Iolite is believed to be the gemstone of happiness and joy. This stone is also associated with the Feng Shui and as a stone that has properties  that help building relationships with others.
People who believe in the powers of this gemstones think that this  stone can cure sore throat and different skin problems.
Iolite comes from the Greek « ios » meaning violet. It is also called by others names such as Cordierite from   the French mineralogist Pierre Louis Antoine Cordier; an other is Dichroite from the Greek word meaning « two  colored », because of the strong pleochroism of iolite. Iolite has different colours in different directions in the crystalA cube cut from iolite will look violetish blue,  almost like a sapphire from one side,colourless from the other, and a brownish

yellow from the top.This property helped Leif Eriksson and the other legendary Viking explorers that went far out into the Atlantic  Ocean to determine the exact position of the sun, and thus navigate safely to the new world and back.Iolite was sometimes called « water sapphire », which is incorrect and now prohibited.

Mines & sources of Iolite

Mining and Excavation of Iolite