Just came across a gemstone called iolite, a variety of cordierite. It’s quite a pretty stone. And lo! We’re told it’s just the thing for the frugal personal financier to sling around her neck (or, if he’s a he, possibly to wear in a ring or tie clip…do men still wear tie clips???). It says here that iolite is “an excellent source of energy when used for the elimination of debt and the responsible management of money.”
Not only that, but it appears to be made for personal finance bloggers, “activating the visionary, creative side of the mind, and accessing thoughts and ideas beyond the ordinary.”
😯
We all must have one of these rocks!
Interestingly, iolite displays a characteristic called pleochroism — it appears to change color when seen from different angles. The Vikings learned to use the phenomenon, a function of light polarization, to help navigate the oceans on overcast days, when the sun couldn’t be seen through cloud cover.
Reading about the color-shifting trait reminded me of a ring my mother left to me, something that she got during our travels through the Middle East. The stone in it, an alexandrite, is deep amethyst in artificial light and clear aquamarine in sunlight. It’s the strangest thing to see!
Alexandrite allegedly was named after Tsar Alexander the II, having been identified by Finnish mineralogist Nils Gustav Nordenskiöldon the young future monarch’s sixteenth birthday in 1834.
Dunno about you, but I find the science and history related to pretty stone baubles very interesting. The folklore and woo-woo that have built up around them are pretty entertaining, too.
🙂
Alexandrite is one of my birthstones, but I’ve never seen real Alexandrite because it’s so rare. Glad to see you’re enjoying your new sideline!