Published September 2016 • Updated August 2024 • Read Time: 7 minutes
Ruby Iolite is a unique blend of pink rubies on a gray or tan matrix of Cordierite that is found in India. Cordierite is the scientific name for a mineral that comes in variety of colors, the most desirable being a dark blue gem called Iolite. The name Iolite is widely used in the jewelry and metaphysical industry, while Cordierite is usually reserved for scientists or collectors. Energetically, this gem combines the joyful passion of Ruby with the quiet wisdom of Iolite. Together they encourage us to be more thoughtful towards our loved ones and to consider what is necessary to make everyone happy and successful in life.
Ruby Iolite Healing Energy
Spiritual Healing Properties
Ruby Iolite has an extremely well-balanced energy. It can be hot and intense, inspiring courage and passion. It can also be cool and calm, encouraging meditation and intuitive practices. Together, this hot and cool energy help us to find and follow the right path for our unique spiritual journey. Ruby Iolite invites us to follow our bliss and to recognize where we need to grow and how we can move forward. It asks us to be very honest with ourselves and to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses, so that we can work with them, rather than run from them. Ruby Iolite is an excellent crystal ally for manifestation and other visionary practices.
| Vibrations | Ruby Iolite |
|---|---|
| Chakra | Root, Heart and Third Eye |
| Element | Earth and Wind |
| Numerology | 3 and 7 |
| Zodiac | Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Libra Scorpio and Sagittarius |
Emotional Healing Properties
Ruby Iolite is an excellent stone for emotional balance and for working on our relationships. It encourages internal harmony and helps us to recognize what best serves us and what actually harms us. Ruby Iolite pushes us to strive for wellness and to refuse to stay stuck in negative situations or patterns. It is especially good to work with when the power dynamic in a relationship is off-balance and one party is taking advantage of another. Ruby Iolite helps us to effectively shift the relationship into something healthier and happier. Ruby Iolite actively encourages us to regularly reassess our relationships. It reminds us that relationships are active contracts and are constantly evolving. As such they require regular care and the needs of each person may change over time. Ruby Iolite helps us to continually grow and becoming more emotionally intelligent and aware. It has a positive and hopeful energy that keeps frustration and despair at bay. It is also a good grounding stone that helps us to focus on solutions and the future, rather than dwelling on problems and the past. It helps us celebrate our good progress and to never take our relationships for granted.
Mental Healing Properties
Ruby Iolite stimulates the mind, helping us to be engaged and thoughtful. It encourages us to continually educate ourselves and to willingly re-calibrate our opinions when new information requires that. It helps us to be comfortable with questioning our own opinions and beliefs. It can even help us to be more comfortable with admitting to being “wrong” and to gracefully let go of incorrect information and embrace new paradigms. Ruby Iolite helps us to be better listeners and to effectively communicate our own opinions and ideas. Ruby Iolite helps us to stay logical and act like adults, rather than dissolving into childish hurt and emotional over-reactions. It is an excellent tool for goal-setting and group-building in our careers. It is also a stone of abundance, attracting financial wealth and helping us develop good money management skills.
Physical Healing Properties
Ruby Iolite is recommended for anyone wanting to developing healthier habits. It helps us to explore all of our conscious and unconscious beliefs and habits that directly affect our physical body and health. It encourages us to make smart plans and staying focused on our physical goals, such as getting more exercise, changing our diet, eliminating addictions, etc. Ruby gives us courage and self-love to realease any bad habits, while Iolite gives us the sensible wisdom to be realistic rather than idealistic. Being realistic doesn’t mean to dream small, but rather to make sure we’ve set ourselves up for success and given ourselves enough time to achieve our goals. Ruby Iolite is also a fantasic talisman for issues involving the heart or liver.
Geology of Ruby Iolite
Where does Ruby Iolite come from?
Ruby combination stones can be found anywhere Rubies grow. Ruby Cordierite also known as Ruby Iolite is found only in India.
Mining and Treatments
Pure Ruby is often mined at a secondary deposit in the gravel beds of rivers. By contrast, Ruby combination stones are typically mined at the primary location and removed directly from the bedrock. The mines can be pits or tunnels, typically artisanal or small-scale.
The Rubies in these stones aren’t gem-quality, so they have been left in their natural matrix. They are completely natural, enhanced only by cutting and polishing.
India
Mineral Family
Ruby combinations are not a single mineral, but rather a rock. As an easy way to understand the difference, think of rocks as being like cookies and minerals as being the ingredients which make up those cookies. Many different minerals are used to create a rock! In this case the two main minerals are Ruby and Cordierite. Iolite is a more popular name for the blue gem variety of Cordierite. The Cordierite in this rock is rarely blue, and is more likely to be pale tan or grey.
Ruby Iolite’s energy works well with its family – other Ruby Combination minerals. Try it in combination with Ruby Fuchsite, Ruby Kyanite, and Ruby Zoisite.
Ruby Iolite Formation and Crystal Associates
Ruby combinations are metamorphic rocks created by regional metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration. Rubies and Cordierite (Iolite) are both formed during the metamorphic process, and in rare cases may naturally fuse together into a single stone. Regional metamorphism occurs when there is a collision between tectonic plates, causing geological changes over a large area. Hydrothermal alteration happens when underground water is heated up to incredibly high temperatures. The hot water flows through minerals, leaving traces of other minerals in its wake, which can then grow in combination over time.
Ruby Iolite’s energy works well with its “friends” – crystal associates formed in the same geological environment. Try it in combination with Almandine Garnet, Blue Sapphire and Chrysoberyl
| Mineralogy | Ruby Iolite |
|---|---|
| Rock Type | Metamorphic Rock |
| Major Minerals | Ruby + Cordierite |
| Minor Minerals | Pargasite |
| Color | Pink in a tan or grey matrix |
| Texture | Gneissic |
| Transparency | Opaque |
History of Ruby Iolite
Ruby always grows entwined with other minerals. When the Ruby is a transparent gem, it is carefully cut away from the matrix and sold to the fine jewelry industry. But sometimes the Ruby is opaque and the matrix is pretty, and so these stones are polished and carved for jewelry, talismans, and decorative purposes. Ruby combination stones can be appreciated by anyone who loves beauty and the finer things. But the largest market for these Ruby combination stones is the metaphysical industry which appreciates not only their coloring, but also their energy and affordable price point.
The first Ruby combination stones sold on the market were Ruby Zoisite from Tanzania and Ruby Kyanite from India. Both had entered the market by the late 20th century and are mentioned in the modern lapidary classic, Love is in the Earth (1995). In 2002, Ruby Fuchsite from India joined them and also sold well. All three types are easily carved into simple shapes like hearts and wands, and sometimes extremely intricate statues and statement pieces. Ruby Zoisite is the most popular over all, but all three are enjoyed by the metaphysical community.
In 2012, Ruby Cordierite entered the market. Cordierite is the scientific name for the gemstone Iolite. While Iolite is dark blue, Cordierite can be many colors and is often tan or grey. When sold as Ruby Cordierite, these stones don’t sell as well as the other Ruby combination stones. As a result, the rock is typically reserved for tumbled stones and it is unusual to see even the simple carvings that are common among the others. This is probably because the Cordierite is less visually striking than the green Fuchsite and Zoisite or the blue Kyanite. Moreover, the mineral name Cordierite is not very well-known in the metaphysical world. But, change the name of this rock to Ruby Iolite and suddenly this stone is popular in the metaphysical crowd! Such is the fickle taste of the marketplace.
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