Another name for the mineral cordierite, which displays dichroism and is valued as a gemstone.
From 'dichro-' (two-color) plus the mineral suffix '-ite.' Cordierite was named 'dichroite' because of its characteristic property of displaying different colors when viewed from different angles.
Dichroite (cordierite) has a beautiful trick—it sometimes gets mistaken for sapphire because of its blue color and hardness, but gemologists can spot the difference instantly by observing its distinctive dichroic effect.
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