Anyolite is a very colorful rock composed mainly of zoisite. It is also known as “ruby in zoisite” because it is composed of green zoisite with bright red ruby crystals, sometimes accompanied by black crystals of the hornblende tschermakite. It is used to produce cabochons, tumbled stones, small sculptures and ornamental objects. Nice pieces of rough material are also sold as specimens.

A material with a similar appearance, “ruby in fuchsite” is often misidentified as ruby in zoisite. Careful testing can easily differentiate these materials because the green fuchsite has a hardness of only 2 to 3, while the green zoisite has a hardness of at least 6. In addition, most specimens of ruby in fuchsite exhibit blue kyanite alteration rims around the ruby crystals, and this does not occur around ruby crystals in zoisite.