Dumortierite is a real fibrous mineral, deep blue and often streaked. Beads called dumortierite quartz are blue quartz full of its fibers.
Aluminum borosilicate
Dumortierite
Dumortierita
- Palette
- Blue Purple
- Mined in
- Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Madagascar, Namibia, Norway, Peru, Poland, Russia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 7.0–8.5 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1881
- Named for
- Eugene Dumortier, a French paleontologist
- Also sold as
- dumortierite quartz, blue quartz (trade)
- Intention
- Calm
- Looking for
- Calm
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Dumortierite beads are usually natural and not dyed or enhanced.
Not in our pieces now
EUGÈNE DUMORTIER
Named for Eugène Dumortier, a Lyon gilding manufacturer who turned to geology around age 50 and wrote a four-volume study of Jurassic fossils.
LAPIS LOOK-ALIKE
Dumortierite is sometimes mistaken for sodalite and has been used as an imitation of lapis lazuli.
7 TO 8.5
Dumortierite measures 7 to as high as 8.5 on the Mohs scale, at or above quartz.
What it is
A fibrous mineral usually seen as deep denim to violet-blue with a mottled or streaked look. Beads sold as dumortierite quartz are usually blue quartz crowded with dumortierite fibers. It is easily mistaken for sodalite or lapis lazuli.
What gives it its color
The blue to violet comes from iron and other metals taking the place of some of the aluminum in the crystal.
Where it comes from
Dumortierite was first described in France near Lyon and is found in Austria, Brazil, Madagascar, Italy, Peru, Namibia and the western United States; no single source is named as the main gem supplier.
What's said about it
It has no old lore of its own. It is often sold as a stand-in for sodalite or lapis lazuli, and shops group it with other deep blue stones.
It is hard and wears well, so it is easy to wear every day on the wrist.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, or on a desk.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, dumortierite 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: on the wrist, in a pocket, on a desk. People reach for it when they want calm, 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
ZodiacLeo
ElementAir
Also calleddumortierite quartz, blue quartz (trade)
Care
- Hard and durable; fine for daily wear.
- Wipe with a soft cloth and mild soapy water, then dry.
- Heavily dyed look-alikes can fade, so test an unfamiliar bead before soaking it.
- Store apart from softer stones so it does not scratch them.
How to tell what you have
- Dumortierite is a fibrous blue to violet mineral with a mottled or streaked look. Beads sold as dumortierite quartz are blue quartz full of dumortierite fibers.
- It is often mistaken for sodalite and lapis lazuli and is sold as a cheaper stand-in for lapis.
- Look for fibrous streaks rather than lapis's gold pyrite flecks and white calcite veins.
Questions people ask at our table
What is dumortierite?
A fibrous aluminum borosilicate mineral, usually deep blue. It is a real mineral, not a dye.
Is dumortierite the same as sodalite?
No. They look alike but are different minerals. Dumortierite is much harder, at 7 or more.
What is dumortierite quartz?
Blue quartz full of dumortierite fibers. The name is a trade name; the stone is quartz, not a new mineral.
Is it a form of lapis?
No. It has been used as a lapis substitute, but lapis lazuli is a different rock.
Where is it found?
Brazil, Madagascar, Namibia, Peru, Russia, Sri Lanka, Nevada and other places.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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