Sapphires are found across the world, with some of the best even coming out of Montana. Cut properly en cabochon, these rutile needles can create the illusion of a floating star on the surface of the stone. In addition, asterism can be produced in these stones through the inclusion of rutile. Sapphire is usually cut into faceted gemstones, but less high-quality specimens are usually cut into cabochons. Sapphire’s incredible hardness and deep beauty have made it a favorite for jewelry for much of human history. Sapphire is used as a descriptor of all types of corundum that aren’t red, but its name has become just as associated with blue as other classic gemstones are with their dominant colors. Sapphire is, without a doubt, the most famous of the blue gemstones spread across the globe. Kyanite isn’t just blue and beautiful… it’s an incredibly versatile mineral! 7. It’s also used extensively in commercial chemical processes. It’s unique crystalline structure and relative fragility mean that it has to be protected but it has a unique, deep blue color with striations of crystals adding to the overall effect. Kyanite is also used as a gemstone on rare occasions. It’s often used by geologists as a marker to determine the previous conditions of zones with metamorphic rock emerging. Kyanite is only one of three forms of Al2SiO5 and indicates high pressure and temperatures where it was found. Kyanite’s name draws from the Greek word for cyan, kyanos.
It’s usually known as large, bladed crystals but it can also be found as small individual crystals of deep blue color.
Its defining feature is that the hardness of the mineral varies depending on the angle you approach it compared to the angle of the crystal’s growth. Kyanite is one of the weirder minerals out there. Lapis is a lot more complex than it appears at first glance, but it’s well worth gaining knowledge about it. It’s been used in most types of artwork at one time or another and it continues to be used to this day, while still hailing from the regions where it was originally discovered. Lapis’ provenance and beauty have kept it in close association with humanity for a long time. The whole stone is complex, which leads to the rather stark contrast between crumbly, low-grade material and high-end lapis lazuli which is very solid and almost entirely the rich blue the material is known for. It’s a complex conglomerate of white calcite, combined with the ultramarine lazurite and flecks of pyrite in many cases. Lapis is actually a rock rather than a pure mineral.
The stone mainly hails from the Middle East, with particularly high-grade deposits coming out of Afghanistan. It was highly prized among the ancient Egyptians as an inlay material, a precious stone in its own right, and even as a dye or paint. Lapis is the longest-running of them, being found in ancient artifacts that are millennia-old. There are, perhaps, three ultra-famous blue stones.
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