Sphalerite

Item Description

Sphalerite is a well-known sulfide, but most of the time, crystals are fairly dark/opaque, though gem quality material does exist. It's one of the very few facettable sulfides in the world. With that said, a case can be made that the finest and most famous GEM Sphalerites are those from what used to be called "Picos de Europa" / "Santander", but it now more accurately labeled as the Aliva Mine (Las Manforas Mine), Camaleño, Cantabria, Spain. Here we have a beautiful, rich amber colored stone with only slight inclusions, and a custom "Modified Mumble" cut. The stone was faceted by Robert Heath. The high refractive index of the material bounces the light around the gem. From what I have been told, there is very little of this material out on the market these days, and good gems are hard to find. If you collect rare gems, do not miss out on this beautiful, colorful, custom-cut gem.