Nearest-color comparison
Tanzanite #4D5DAB vs Iolite #5A4C8D: RGB distance 36.9 and contrast 1.22:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Tanzanite and Iolite are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 36.9. Tanzanite is lighter by 0.0308, and Tanzanite is more saturated by 8 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.22:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Tanzanite and Iolite across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Tanzanite is #4D5DAB, a cool blue with hue 230°, saturation 38% and luminance 0.1235. Beside Iolite, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 6.05:1.
blue color
Iolite is #5A4C8D, a cool blue with hue 253°, saturation 30% and luminance 0.0927. Beside Tanzanite, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 7.36:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Tanzanite and Iolite, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "tanzanite",
"name": "Tanzanite",
"hex": "#4D5DAB",
"rgb": [
77,
93,
171
],
"hsl": [
230,
38,
49
],
"cmyk": [
55,
46,
0,
33
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.1235,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.47,
"white": 6.05
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.05
},
"description": "Tanzanite is #4D5DAB, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Iolite, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for jewel-tone palettes, luxury branding, and premium interface accents, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/tanzanite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tanzanite.json"
},
{
"slug": "iolite",
"name": "Iolite",
"hex": "#5A4C8D",
"rgb": [
90,
76,
141
],
"hsl": [
253,
30,
43
],
"cmyk": [
36,
46,
0,
45
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0927,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.85,
"white": 7.36
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 7.36
},
"description": "Iolite is #5A4C8D, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Tanzanite, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for jewel-tone palettes, luxury branding, and premium interface accents, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/iolite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iolite.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 36.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.22,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 23,
"saturation": 8,
"lightness": 6
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0308,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Tanzanite",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Tanzanite"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.22,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Tanzanite",
"background": "#4D5DAB",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.05
},
{
"color": "Iolite",
"background": "#5A4C8D",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 7.36
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Tanzanite is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4D5DAB.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Iolite is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #5A4C8D.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/tanzanite-vs-iolite.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tanzanite.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iolite.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "tanzanite-vs-iolite",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Tanzanite vs Iolite",
"verdict": "Tanzanite and Iolite are visually related colors. Tanzanite is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.22:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Tanzanite and Iolite are different blue colors with HEX values #4D5DAB and #5A4C8D. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 36.9, their contrast ratio is 1.22:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 36.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.22,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "tanzanite",
"name": "Tanzanite",
"hex": "#4D5DAB",
"rgb": [
77,
93,
171
],
"hsl": [
230,
38,
49
],
"cmyk": [
55,
46,
0,
33
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.1235,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.47,
"white": 6.05
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.05
},
"description": "Tanzanite is #4D5DAB, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Iolite, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for jewel-tone palettes, luxury branding, and premium interface accents, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/tanzanite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tanzanite.json"
},
{
"slug": "iolite",
"name": "Iolite",
"hex": "#5A4C8D",
"rgb": [
90,
76,
141
],
"hsl": [
253,
30,
43
],
"cmyk": [
36,
46,
0,
45
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0927,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.85,
"white": 7.36
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 7.36
},
"description": "Iolite is #5A4C8D, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Tanzanite, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for jewel-tone palettes, luxury branding, and premium interface accents, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/iolite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iolite.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 36.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.22,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 23,
"saturation": 8,
"lightness": 6
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0308,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Tanzanite",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Tanzanite"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.22,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Tanzanite",
"background": "#4D5DAB",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.05
},
{
"color": "Iolite",
"background": "#5A4C8D",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 7.36
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Tanzanite is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4D5DAB.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Iolite is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #5A4C8D.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/tanzanite-vs-iolite.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tanzanite.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iolite.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/tanzanite-vs-iolite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/tanzanite-vs-iolite.json"
}