Sphalerite

Item Description

Some of the best color Sphalerite in the world comes from Spain. For years, this material was labeled as coming from "Picos de Europa" or "Santander". Santander is an archaic name for Cantabria, and shouldn't be used anymore. The term "Picos de Europa" is in reference to a mountain range that which sits in four separate Autonomous Communities: Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and Leun, and is a vague locality. It would be similar as labeling a Rhodochrosite from the Sweet Home Mine as coming from the "Rocky Mountains". The Las Manforas Mine should always be used in reference to these amazing gems. This locality has given the world some of the finest gem grade Sphalerite, in various colors and in great quantity for a time. This stone is a unique piece and will probably end up being a great bargain for one of you lucky bidders. This stone has good color and cutting with excellent dispersion. 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 refraction of light in well-cut stones, creating small rainbow like interior reflections. The color of the stone is a medium yellow hue, but when you view it 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, which is important for Sphalerite as not only is it a transparent sulfide, which is rare enough, but inclusions are almost always present. The finest gems from Spain are among the cleanest and brightest Sphalerites stonets extant. The cut on the stone is called a "Trillion Brilliant". Make sure to take advantage of this opportunity to own a bright, beautiful rare collector stone from this classic locality.