Rich natural violet blue Iolite(.68ct, VS, Scandinavia) hand set in sterling silver on a sterling silver chain. If you love the color of Tanzanite but can't afford those kinds of prices let me introduce you to an amazing gemstone. Iolite is the gem-quality blue or blue-violet variety of cordierite. While Iolite enjoyed popularity in jewelry in 18th-century Europe, this naturally beautiful gemstone is relatively new to the jewelry market and is regaining popularity with the public. Because of its hardness and pleochroism, Iolite is one of the most difficult stones to cut. It must be cut in a certain direction to take advantage of the best color, which can be tough when the shape of the rough doesn't lend itself to cutting in that same direction. Once used by the Vikings to navigate across open water. Leif Ericsson used it to discover American. Iolite is typically light to dark blue or violet-blue, but it may also occur in light shades of yellow, green, gray, or brown. Violet-blue iolite is considered ideal color. Iolite is strongly trichroic, meaning that it shows three colors when viewed from different angles. A cube-shaped piece of iolite can appear blue from one angle, clear from another, and surprisingly golden from another. The name "iolite" is derived from the Greek word ios, meaning "violet," as well as dichroite, Greek for "two-colored rock" and the root of the word dichroic, meaning a gem that displays two colors. Yet another name sometimes used to refer to iolite is its species name, cordierite, which was officially named in 1813 after French geologist Pierre L. A. Cordier, the man who first described it in 1809. Iolite had been discovered and used in jewelry in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) long before that, however. In rare cases, some iolite gems can display one of three optical properties known as phenomenon: a star (asterism) or a cat's-eye effect (chatoyancy) when cut en cabochon, or aventurescence, which is a glittering effect caused by light reflections playing off of small plate-like inclusions in the stone. The inclusions can be a variety of materials; "bloodshot iolite" is a trade name given to aventurescent iolite that contains tiny hematite inclusions.Please ask questionsI'm a home based small seller. All my items are one of a kind handmade pieces. I do not buy pre made of mass manufactured finished items. If you want something that looks like it came from a major jewelry store then please go there. If you want one of a kind,Individual,artistic, and unique pieces then look through my store.