Titanite (Sphene) (great dispersion)

Item Description

Sometimes this species is referred to as "Sphene" but it is an archaic term although both are generally accepted in the gem and mineral world. It seems to me that more often it is referred to as "Sphene" in the gem world and Titanite is used for crystallized specimens. One of the great aspects of faceted Titanite is the incredibly high dispersion of the material. This gem is a beautiful golden, VVS clarity "Oval Brilliant" cut gem, but the high dispersion creates some beautiful internal rainbows of color with flashes of yellow, green, orange and red. The stone looks MUCH BETTER in sunlight, and we've done our best to illustrate this in the video. The photo was taken in incandescent lighting, which is why the stone looks "flat" in terms of brilliance, and only shows the golden hue. This is one of the few Madagascar Titanites that we've had to offer in the auctions, and the fact that it's well over 1 carat in weight makes a difference in terms of value. Gems that weigh over 1 carat are typically considered "collector quality", unless it's something extremely rare that isn't found in stones over 1 carat.