Dumortierite was named in 1881 after Eugene Dumortier, a French paleontologist who found this mineral in the Rhone-Alps region of France. It is an aluminum silicate containing boron (so it’s called a borosilicate), and frequently also has iron, zinc, and manganese as part of its chemical composition.
The mineral is usually blue or violet, but can also be brown or pink. Because of its color, the stone can be confused with lapis lazuli, azurite, blue quartz, and sodalite.
Dumortierite typically has a Mohs hardness of 7 (the same as quartz), specific gravity of 3.26-3.42, and a refractive index of 1.68-1.72. The stones are found in aluminum-containing metamorphic rocks, and occur as fibrous or radial aggregates of slender orthorhombic crystals.
Deposits can be found in a number of different places around the world, such as France, Brazil, the United States (Nevada, Arizona, and San Diego County, California), Italy, Austria, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Namibia. The beautiful stones for sale on the Heart of Stone Studio Website are from South Africa.
Metaphysical Properties of Dumortierite
This lovely blue stone is said to help relieve stomach problems and nausea, and to help with tension-related ailments such as headaches. Dumortierite is said to promote mental clarity and enhance learning ability, particularly for students who have to take in a lot of information in a short period of time. It is said to help stimulate organizational skills, helping people clear out clutter. As part of the enhancement of mental clarity, the stone is said to help clear both writer’s and artist’s block.
When placed on the throat chakra, Dumortierite is said to have a calming effect, encouraging a tolerance toward other people, and also promotes patience.
Meditating or sleeping with the stone is said to stimulate psychic development. It is said that this stone activates the third eye and the crown chakra, and is particularly good for people who do channeling or psychic work.
At Heart of Stone Studio, we offer cabochons of dumortierite that can be made into pendants or other jewelry. You can find Dumortierite on our Purples and Pure Blues page.
Submitted by Con Slobodchikoff
Sources: Hall: Gemstones; Melody: Love Is In The Earth;, O’Donoghue: Rocks and Minerals; Peschek-Bohmer and Schreiber: Healing Crystals and Gemstones; Schumann: Gemstones of the World; Simmons and Ahsian: The Book of Stones; Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumortierite
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