Brilliant cut Andalusite

Andalusite

Andalusite has a wide colour range of pale yellow-brown to dark bottle green or greenish red, it is often pleochroic (the same stone can appear green, yellow or red from different angles.)

A popular cut for this stone is the brilliant cut, as this displays the pleochroism.

Twinned crystals of chiastolite form a cross

Chiastolite

Twinned crystals of andalusite form a cross-like pattern, the stone is often cut en-cabochon to display this pattern to its best advantage, for obvious reasons this stone was once very popular in religious jewellery.

|Structure: Triclinic|Composition: Aluminium silicate|Moh's Hardness: 5 or 7|

Kyanite

Chemically identical to andalusite is kyanite, often found as white, grey, green and blue crystals, blue kyanite is the favourite and most widely available for jewellery design.

Coloured by aluminium, the coloration of stones is often uneven, with dark blue patches in the centre of the stone.

Kyanite is available as bead, faceted stone and cabochon.