Great South Gems & Minerals

• Blue Kyanite specimens in thumbnail •
(Minas Gerais, Brazil)

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• Blue Kyanite specimens in thumbnail •
(Minas Gerais, Brazil)

Kyanite - silicate mineral - andalusite - sillimanite - quartz - staurolite - micas - garnets

Kyanite is an aluminum silicate. Kyanite is a polymorph with two other minerals, andalusite and sillimanote. It gets its name from the Greek word Kyanos, meaning blue. It is typically blue silicate mineral, commonly found in aluminum-rich metamorphic pegmatites and/or sedimentary rock. Kyanite comes in blue, green white, grey and black. The crystal habit is Columnar; fibrous.

Kyanite is an attractive mineral that has a near sapphire like blue color in some especially nice specimens. Kyanite has a unique characteristic in that it has a wide variation in hardness, in the same crystal. The hardness of kyanite is approximately 4.5 when scratched parallel to the long axis of the crystal and approximately 6.5 when scratched perpendicular to or across the long axis.

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Kyanite is usually found in association with its polymorphs, as well as other silicate minerals. These include andalusite, sillimanite, quartz, staurolite, micas and garnets. Kyanite is used in refractory and ceramic products which include porcelain plumbing fixtures and dinnerware. It is also used in electrical insulators and abrasives. Kyanite has rarely been used as a gemstone.

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