Kyanite - Mineral and Healing Properties
Chemistry: Al2 SiO5, Aluminum Silicate
Class: Silicates
Subclass: Nesosilicates
Uses: in the manufacture of spark plugs and as mineral specimens.
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Blue Kyanite -
Blue Kyanite Crystal -
Kyanite Cluster -
Faceted Kyanite
Kyanite is a metamorphic mineral that most often forms from the high pressure alteration of clay-rich sedimentary rocks. It is found in the schists and gneisses of regionally metamorphosed areas and less often in quartzite or eclogite.
Kyanite's typical habit is a bladed crystal although it sometimes occurs as radiating masses of crystals. Kyanite is often associated with other metamorphic minerals such as garnet, staurolite and corundum.
Origin Of The Name
The name Kyanite comes from the Greek word "kyanos" which means " blue".
Interesting Facts
Kyanite has a unique characteristic in that it has a wide variation in hardness in the same crystal face. 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.
Kyanite is typically a blue color but it sometimes comes in green, white, yellow and black. Kyanite is a stone that cannot be left submersed in water as it will dissolve as it is a fragile stone.
Kyanite is a refractory material and it has a high melting point, low thermal conductance, and maintains its strength up to about 1100øC.
Kyanite is a polymorph with two other minerals: andalusite and sillimanite. A polymorph is a mineral that shares the same chemistry but a different crystal structure with another, or other, minerals.
Where Is It Found
It is extracted from alluvial deposits at Villa Rica, Brazil. Rare, colorless kyanite is found at Machakos, Kenya. Very fine kyanite crystals, found in association with staurolite, are found in the schists of St Gotthard, in the Tyrol Mountains of Switzerland.
Other major locations for kyanite are Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Kenya, India, Myanmar, the European Alps, and Australia. Kyanite can also be found in the United States, in Yancey County, North Carolina, Madison County, Montana, and various locations around Massachusetts and North Carolina.
What Do We Do With It
Kyanite is an attractive mineral that has a near sapphire-like blue color in some especially nice specimens.
Kyanite is used to manufacture a wide range of products. An important use is in the manufacture of refractory products such as the bricks, mortars and kiln furniture used in high temperature furnaces. For foundries, the molds that are used for casting high temperature metals are often made with kyanite.
Kyanite is also in products used in the automotive and railroad industries where heat resistance is important. Mullite, a form of calcined kyanite, is used to make brake shoes and clutch facings.
Kyanite has properties that make it exceptionally well suited for the manufacture of a high refractory-strength porcelain - a porcelain that holds its strength at very high temperatures. A familiar use of this type of porcelain is the white porcelain insulator on a spark plug.
Kyanite is also used in some of the more common forms of porcelain, such as those used to make dentures, sinks and bathroom fixtures.
Metaphysical Uses
Kyanite creates inner bridges, psychic ability, connection with Nature, pas life recall & telepathy empathy. Kyanite stimulates the third eye. Bridges blockages in the energetic and physical bodies. Helps the transfer of energy from person to person. Kyanite is a gemstone that does not accumulate negative energies, and it therefore never need to be cleansed or cleared. As the energy of kyanite is all but unlimited, it is said to be one of the best gemstones for use as an attunement stone. Kyanite is known to induce tranquility and calm, as well as enhancing communication and psychic awareness, as well it eases, enhances and supports mediation efforts.
It is an ideal stone for wearing around the neck , as it has beneficial effects on the throat.ÿ It will promote the ability to speak more easily and express oneself more clearly, and will even assist in learning a new language.ÿ Anyone who is in a position where they are required to speak at great lengths would benefit from having kyanite around their neck.
Physical Characteristics
Color: Blue usually but also can be white, gray or green. Color: often not consistent throughout the crystal and can be blotchy or in streaks.
Luster: Vitreous to almost pearly.
Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System: Triclinic; bar 1
Crystal Habits: Flat, pinacoid dominated, prismatic crystals often embedded in metamorphic rocks and quartz veins.
Cleavage: Good in one direction parallel to the flat pinacoid face.
Fracture: Splintery
Hardness: 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.
Specific Gravity: Approximately 3.58+ (above average)
Streak: White
Associated Minerals: Biotite, staurolite, garnets, quartz, andalusite and sillimanite.
Other Characteristics: Sometimes intergrown with staurolite.
Best Field Indicators: Crystal habit, color, luster and unusual hardness.
Educational Videos
Kyanite Pegmatite
