Raw iolite dangles, white pearl, sterling silver

Description

Raw iolite dangles set in sterling silver. A chain dangle featuring rough iolite crystal and genuine white pearl. Drop length 50 mm (1.9 inch)

Design and materials

The rough iolite (aka cordierite aka water sapphire) is a dark blue gemstone. The iolites here are leaf-shaped, .7 mm wide, 10 mm long

I cut and polished iolite crystals myself to make a pair of earrings a match. Quite a job!
Yet since they are natural raw crystals, they vary slightly in shape and color. It is a part of their charm.

The iolites have been set it in a gallery bezel wire (925 silver) and assembled with a genuine freshwater pearl and sterling silver chain.

The raw iolite dangles have ear pins with balls and a butterfly clasp on the back. All in sterling silver.

A different iolite – faceted and transparent? Check out this bracelet

Read about iolite here

Iolite’s name comes from the Greek ios, meaning violet, and is the gem version of the mineral Cordierite.

Like a crisp, dark winter sky, Iolite, in shifting shades of violet-blue carries the spirit of a journey, of dreams and intuition, of exploration and illumination. It is known as the Vikings’ Compass, and provides the vision to move us, physically and spiritually, from one realm to the next.

Leif Eriksson and other Viking explorers who ventured far out into the Atlantic Ocean, away from any coastline that would help determine position, used thin pieces of Iolite as the world’s first polarizing filter. Looking through an Iolite lens, they could determine the exact location of the sun and navigate safely to the New World and back. [ICGA]

A property called pleochroism is very pronounced in Iolite, producing different colors when the stone is seen through different positions. Overall, Iolite appears as violet-blue or indigo, but in different positions may shift to a yellow-gray or honey color, and even to a clear light blue. It is also referred to as “Water Sapphire” or Dichroite.