Gem-quality kyanite crystals arc pale to deep blue, or white, grey, or green. Color distribution in crystals may be uneven, with darker blue patches inwards ice interior.

Kyanite is found in metamorphic gneiss and schist, and in pegmatite veins through metamorphic rocks. It may be weathered out into alluvial deposits, Gem-quality crystals are found in Burma, Brazil, Kenya, and the European Alps. Alluvial deposits are found in India, Australia, and Kenya, and in several localities in the USA.

Kyanite crystals have two values: they are softer parallel to the direction of cleavage, and harder perpendicular to it.