Minerals - Iolite - English Italian Hand

"Iolite is the gemology name for the mineral cordierite. Iolite's color varies from bluish-gray to mauve to purple. The transparent bluish-purple variety is considered gem quality. In fact the name iolite comes from the Greek word for violet. My specimen, as you can see, isn't transparent but looks somewhat like black marble with blue and mauve mixed in.

Being a short, simple word I thought it could use a little dressing up, so I decided to go crazy on the cap I. Since the cap I is essentially just a simple stem character, one must be especially careful when flourishing or swashing it so modifications do not transform the character into another letter."

~2011, Don Marsh~
©2011 Don Marsh