Discovered in blue, green and brown colours, Andalusite is a transparent to translucent gem that derives its name from Andalusia in Spain where it was first discovered. The gem is actually a polymorph of two gem varieties: Sillimanite and the hugely popular Kyanite.
There is little folklore and legend surrounding Andalusite, as it was often mistaken for Smokey Quartz, Chrysoberyl or Tourmaline. However, the gemstone benefits from a very distinet and attractive pleochroism, which Lapidarists try and highlight when faceting the gem and which is often used by gemmologists in identifying it.
Andalusite registers 7.5 on the Mohs scale, and in addition to Spain has been discovered in Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Mozambique and the USA.
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