Sphalerite (rare)

Item Description

Sphalerite gems are beloved due to the fact that they have some of the highest dispersion among all non-precious gems. While Sphalerite itself is not rare, GEM quality material is seldom seen on the market, especially these days. Keep in mind that most Sphalerite around the world is either too dark or too opaque for faceting. The Madan area 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 this region. This particular gem is a larger stone with a "Round Brilliant" cut and a lively greenish-yellow hue. Gem Sphalerite has a refractive index of 2.37 which is just below Diamond, and allows for brilliant refraction 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 nearly eye-clean (very slightly included), which is important for Sphalerite as not only is it a transparent sulfide, which is rare enough, but inclusions are almost always present. A great collector's gem, and well worth the starting bid for the size.