Check what you are buying: real blue aventurine is quartz with tiny blue inclusions, but much of the bright blue sold under the name is dyed quartzite or goldstone, a glass with copper specks. The lore below belongs to the aventurine family.
Silicate (quartz rock) · Aventurine
Blue Aventurine
Aventurina azul
- Palette
- Blue Gray
- Mined in
- India, Brazil, China, Nepal, Russia, Italy
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.5–7.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- Italian a ventura, 'by chance'
- Also sold as
- aventurine quartz, blue quartzite, dumortierite quartz
- Intention
- Calm
- Looking for
- Calm Peace Communication Willpower
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Blue aventurine beads are sold as natural, with no dye disclosed.
Not in our pieces now
DEL-ROBA
In Persian, goldstone, the glittering glass that gave aventurine its name, is called del-roba, a word meaning charming.
1,084 °C
Goldstone's glitter is copper crystals grown in the glass, and reheating the glass above copper's 1,084 °C melting point can ruin it.
COBALT
Cobalt gives goldstone its blue, while green 'chrome aventurine' gets its sparkle from chromium oxide particles rather than metal.
What it is
Genuine blue aventurine is quartz or quartzite colored by tiny blue mineral inclusions such as dumortierite, with a soft glitter. Much of the bright blue sold under this name is quartzite dyed blue, or goldstone, which is man-made glass with copper specks and not a mineral.
What gives it its color
The blue usually comes from tiny inclusions of dumortierite, a blue mineral, scattered through the quartz.
Where it comes from
Aventurine overall comes mostly from India, with Brazil next; blue dumortierite-bearing quartz is also found in Brazil, Madagascar and Namibia.
In history
Aventurine glass, the sparkling Venetian glass that gave this stone its name, is documented on Murano by 1626, and the Miotti family of Venice later held an exclusive license from the Doge to make it. A goldstone amulet from Persia in the 12th or 13th century shows the technique is older. The stone itself, a quartz rock with shimmering flakes, is carved into beads and figurines, and most of the green and blue-green material comes from near Mysore in India.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, blue aventurine is the stone people keep for peace and plain speaking. It is traditionally linked with calm, honesty with yourself, and self-discipline.
People hold it in the non-dominant hand while breathing slowly, or carry it in a pocket or wear it on the wrist.
How people wear or keep it: Held in the non-dominant hand, in a pocket, on the wrist, or in a calm corner of a room.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, blue aventurine is paired with the throat and third eye chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: held in the non-dominant hand, in a pocket, on the wrist. People reach for it when they want calm, peace, communication, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraThroat, Third Eye
ZodiacAries
ElementAir
Also calledaventurine quartz, blue quartzite, dumortierite quartz
Care
- Natural quartzite is fairly hard, about Mohs 6.5 to 7, but dyed beads can rub or fade, so keep them from soaps, solvents and long soaks.
- Wipe with a soft damp cloth and dry it. Skip ultrasonic and steam cleaners.
- Glass goldstone is softer and chips more easily than quartz, so avoid hard knocks.
- Keep it out of strong sun and away from harsh chemicals.
How to tell what you have
- Aventurine is quartz rock with tiny mica flakes that give a shimmer; the blue comes from included minerals. It is hard (about 7).
- A common imitation is aventurine glass (goldstone), which shows evenly spread copper-like flecks and may be dyed blue. Real aventurine looks patchier, with a glitter that changes as you turn it.
What sets the price
Price follows how strong and even the sparkle is and how deep the blue is, plus bead size and polish. Much stone sold as aventurine is really plain quartz or quartzite with little sparkle, and bright colors on cheap strands are often dyed.
Questions people ask at our table
What is blue aventurine?
Real blue aventurine is quartz or quartzite with tiny blue inclusions, often dumortierite, that give it color and a faint glitter. It is a rock, not a single mineral.
Is the bright blue kind natural?
Often not. Aventurine with weak sparkle and plain quartz are commonly dyed to make bright blue beads, and goldstone, a glass with copper specks, is also sold under the name. Ask the seller what a strand really is.
How can I tell goldstone from the real thing?
Goldstone's glitter is even, with specks of the same size spread uniformly through the bead. In natural stone the flecks vary in size and spacing.
Where does it come from?
Aventurine of this kind is reported from India, Brazil, China, Nepal, Russia and Italy. Blue and green material from India is especially common.
Will the color fade?
The natural color from inclusions is stable. Dyed beads can lose color with sun, soaps and soaking, so keep them dry and out of strong light.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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