2.07 ctw Flower Oval Kyanite & Diamond Stud Earrings – 18k White Gold

18k White Gold Stud Earrings. Oval Kyanite, 1.96 carats. Diamonds, 0.11 carats. 2.07 carats total.

The larger of our two kyanite flower studs. Nearly two full carats of oval kyanite, set in 18k white gold with a diamond border kept deliberately fine at 0.11 carats — here the stone does all of the talking.

Kyanite earns its name from kyanos, the Greek for blue, and it is colored by the same trace iron and titanium that give blue sapphire its color. That shared chemistry is why the two are so often confused, though they are entirely different minerals: sapphire is corundum, while kyanite is an aluminum silicate formed under the pressure of metamorphic rock. Kyanite is also strongly pleochroic, meaning the blue shifts in depth depending on the angle you view it from — so a well-oriented cut, like these, keeps the richest color facing forward.

It is rarely treated in any way, which is increasingly unusual among blue gemstones. Because its hardness varies with direction — roughly 4.5 to 5 along the crystal, 6.5 to 7 across it — treat it as you would an opal or an emerald: warm soapy water, a soft cloth, never an ultrasonic cleaner.

Diamond Tales curates fine jewelry meant to last a lifetime and carry a story.