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IOLITE
Name: The name "iolite" comes from the Greek word ios, meaning "violet," in reference to its characteristic color. The mineral name, Cordierite, honors French geologist Pierre Cordier. It is also sometimes misnamed "water sapphire" or "dichroite" (Greek for "two colors," referring to its pleochroism).
Description: Strongly pleochroic, showing different colors from different viewing angles.
Variety: of cordierite.
Color: It has a color range from light to dark blue and violet. Can appear colorless, gray, violet, or yellow due to the strong pleochroism.
Iolite displays colors in the violetish blue to fine blue range. Its most distinguishing feature is its strong pleochroism (trichroism), meaning it exhibits three different colors when viewed from different crystal directions. These colors typically include: * Dark blue-violet/dark violet * Lighter blue/blue-gray * Colorless to light yellow/yellow-brown
Treatments: Iolite is rarely, if ever, treated for color enhancement.
Moh’s Hardness: 7 to 7.5
Toughness: fair to good.
Location Found: Brazil; India; Kenya; Madagascar; Namibia; Norway; Sri Lanka (Ceylon); Tanzania.
Birthstone: September.
Wedding Anniversaries: 21st.
Zodiac Signs: Libra; Sagittarius; Taurus.
Chakra Associations: Third Eye.
Historical Associations: navigation; Sun; vision; intuition; inner journeying; clairvoyance; psychic abilities; clarity ; focus; concentration; overcome disorientation; overcome confusion; emotional balance; self-expression; release discord in relationships; overcome codependency; self-responsibility; attract prosperity; eliminate debt; encourage financial responsibility.
Historically Used to Treat: eyesight; vision; malaria; fevers; liver; migraines; headaches.
Care: Due to its distinct cleavage in one direction, it should be protected from sharp blows that could cause it to break. Can be damaged by heat. Avoid harsh chemicals. Attacked by acids. Avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaning. Warm, soapy water and a soft brush are safe to use.
Imitations: Glass.
Synthetics: No commercial synthetic iolite is currently known to be widely produced.
IVORY
Name: from the Latin “ebur” or “eboreus” which entered Old French as “ivorie”.
Description: An organic material that comes from teeth or tusks from elephants, hippopotamus, narwhal, sperm whale, walrus, and the warthog. Chemically, it is a combination of dentin and collagen. In many countries, including the USA, the commercial trade of modern elephant ivory is essentially banned to protect endangered species. Most “ivory” seen in modern retail today is either mammoth ivory (which is fossilized and legal) or Tagua nut.
Color: ranges from soft or radiant whites to warm light or golden brownish yellows, or tan. Fossilized mammoth ivory can be brown, blue, or green due to mineral absorption over time.
Treatments:
Bleaching lightens or removes stains. Stable. Common. Undetectable.
Dyeing can impart any color but usually done to simulate the appearance of antique ivory. Stable. Common. Usually undetectable unless the color is unnatural in appearance.
Heating darkens the color to simulate the appearance of antique ivory. Stable. Undetermined. Usually undetectable.
Moh’s Hardness: 2.25 to 2.75. 2.0 – 3.0
Toughness: Fair to Good.
Location Found: Africa; Asia; Russia (Siberia).
Birthstone: June.
Wedding Anniversaries: 14th.
Zodiac Signs: Cancer; Capricorn; Taurus.
Chakra Associations: Crown; Root.
Historical Associations: strength; life force; majesty of nature; ceremonial; detect poison or toxic substance; ancient wisdom; protection; long and healthy life; ancient memory; ancestral knowledge; quiet authority; self-respect.
Historically Used to Treat: fevers; skeletal system; anxiety; lower blood pressure.
Care: Ivory absorbs and releases moisture. If it gets too dry it will crack. If it gets too wet it can swell or warp. Heat causes shrinkage, cracking, and discoloration. Light yellows it rapidly and can cause it to develp surface cracks. Attacked by many chemicals; softened by nitric and phosphoric acid. Never clean with steam or ultrasonic cleaners. Use a very soft, dry cloth to clean. For deep cleaning a tiny amount of mineral oil applied with a cotton swab, though this can darken the material over time. Store in a stable environment with consistent humidity. Avoid airtight plastic bags; ivory needs to “breathe” slightly.
Imitations: Glass; Plastic; Tagua Nut; Bone; Celluloid; Antler.
Synthetics: Resin-based: Nu-Ivory and Lab-Ivory are created from calcium-enriched resins. They often lack the “Schreger lines” (cross-hatching) of real ivory.