Dumortierite

Dumortierite

Dumortierite is a little-known, beautiful decorative stone slightly reminiscent of lapis lazuli, charcoal or sodalite. It is named after the French palaeontologist Eugene Dumortier, who discovered this rare mineral in the second half of the 19th century. As a decorative mineral, it began to be used only in the last century, but to this day most of us have never heard of it. Dumortierite is used not only as a decorative material, but also as a raw material for the ceramics and refractory industries.

Properties of Dumortieryite

The dumortierites used in jewelry usually come from Nevada in the USA or Sri Lanka. American stones usually have a violet-lavender color. The Asian variety of dumortieryite is bluer. These stones also come in the colors of brown, green and pink, however, it is extremely difficult to find such dumortierites in jewelry.

These stones have an interesting structure. Lighter and darker shades are arranged in dense and fine networks of veins, creating a visually interesting mineral. Dumortieryites are opaque, and polished, they have a rather shiny surface.

The hardness of dumortierite varies between 7 and 8.5 on the Mohs scale. This is more than the most popular decorative stones. This means that this mineral, unknown to most people, is not only beautiful, but also durable. Jewelry made out of it will be very durable and quite resistant to scratching or breaking.

Dumortieite semi-finished products and jewelery

Like most opaque minerals, dumortierite is most often found in the form of smooth polished beads in a variety of shapes. The second popular form of cutting these stones are cabochons. These semi-finished products match almost everything. Their one-color, but visually complex surface matches warm and cool colors, making them extremely versatile.

In our opinion, it is worth checking their combination with pearls and clear glass or acrylic beads. What's more, we recommend combining dumortierites with other decorative stones, wood and resin beads, as well as with numerous metal blanks.