Sphalerite (rare) (good sized stone)

Item Description

Sphalerite as a mineral species itself is not rare, as it's found in hundreds of world localities, but GEM quality / facet grade material is seldom seen on the market, especially these days. These days, the Madan Ore Field in Bulgaria is probably the best active region in the world for producing gem quality Sphalerite. Some of the best transparent quality green, yellow and orange Sphalerite in the world is found in this region. This particular gem is a very good sized stone with a "Modified Mumble" cut and a gorgeous saturated golden 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 even more impressive for a stone this size. 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. Retail value on this gem is $653.00