Sphalerite (rare)

Item Description

While Sphalerite as a mineral species itself is not rare, GEM quality / facet grade material is seldom seen on the market, especially these days. The Madam Ore Field in Bulgaria is probably the best active region in the world right now for producing gem quality Sphalerite. Some of the best gem quality green, yellow and orange Sphalerite in the world is found in the Madan Region of Bulgaria. This particular gem is a good sized stone with a "Modified Mumble" cut and a fiery orange yellow hue. Sphalerite is beloved by collectors due to the fact that it has some of the highest dispersion among all non-precious gems. Gem Sphalerite has a refractive index of 2.37 which is just below Diamond, and allows for brilliant refractions of light in well-cut stones, creating small rainbow like interior reflections. When you view this stone under halogen lighting or in sunlight, you can see the bright shimmering splitting of white light into its constituent colors in prisms and rainbows inside the stone. It's only very slightly included, which is typical for Sphalerite as inclusions are almost always present, but it's still very impressive considering this is a transparent sulfide species. A great collector's gem, and well worth adding to a rare gem collection for the size and color. This stone was faceted by Robert Heath.