Kyanite derives from the ancient Greek word for blue, ‘kyanos’. And what a blue! Fine Nepali Kyanite can resemble the finest Sapphire. Kyanite was a gem far better known to mineral collectors until more recent finds in the Kali Gandaki river region of West Central Nepal, the first source to produce a significant amount of facet grade Kyanite. Prior to the Nepal discoveries, Brazil was a major source of the mineral, but Kyanite also occurs in a variety of locations around the world.