Kyanite
Other Silicates & Gemstones
Kyanite is an aluminium silicate that commonly forms blue, bladed crystals in rocks metamorphosed at high pressure. It has the same composition as andalusite and sillimanite but a different crystal structure, and its hardness changes markedly with direction.
Identity
- Material or variety
- Kyanite
- Scientific or material identity
- Kyanite
- Classification
- Natural mineral or mineral variety
- Aliases or trade names
- Disthene · Cyanite
- Composition or formula
- Al₂SiO₅
- Crystal system or structure
- Triclinic
- Geological or manufacturing origin
- Forms or recrystallizes under metamorphic heat and pressure.
- Mohs hardness
- 4 to 7
Origins
Brazil · Nepal · Switzerland · Tanzania · USA
Appearance & optical properties
deep blue kyanite with bladed crystal habit.
History & discovery
Its name comes from the Ancient Greek kyanos, meaning dark blue. Geologists later made kyanite an important index mineral: finding it in a metamorphic rock helps identify the high-pressure conditions under which that rock formed.
Uses & care
- Common uses
- Transparent material is cut as a gemstone, while industrial kyanite goes into heat-resistant ceramics, porcelain, electrical insulators, and abrasives.
Jewellery
5 pieces of Kyanite jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.
Blade of the Alps Pendant
Pendant
A long thin blade of blue kyanite held in silver claws, glowing violet-blue through its natural striations.
Kyanite Drop Earrings
Earrings
A pair of slender blue kyanite rods, cool and glassy, hanging like shards of sky.
Sky-Blade Ring
Ring
A wide band set with a flat tabular kyanite, its parallel lines running like skies.
Blue Blade Bracelet
Bracelet
An imagined bracelet of polished kyanite blades, each a long sliver of streaked blue joined end to end in silver.
Alpine Blade Tiara
Tiara
An imagined silver tiara whose rays are polished blades of kyanite, streaked blue like a mountain sky.