Sphalerite

Item Description

Sphalerite is not often seen in faceted gems. First of all, it's a sulfide, which means they're typically opaque, but good gem material has been found over the years. Colorado has produced some good gem Sphalerite from time to time, but it's still considered rather rare. In the early 2000s a small discovery was made of gem grade Sphalerite on the dumps of the Big Four Mine in Colorado. This gem was only recently faceted from a stash of rough that we found in an old collection. The gem shows a gorgeous greenish-yellow color, which is rare for the locality, as most gems we've seen are a some sort of dark orange or brown hue. Most Sphalerites from this mine feature some kind of inclusions, and this stone is no different, though it's only slightly included, and you really can't see the inclusions face up. This stone has a "Round Brilliant" cut and glows with color in the sun where its high dispersion and brilliance of color comes through.