Sphene - An Extraordinary Bright Gem

 SPHENE - A Dichroic Gem

Sphene is a beautiful yellow green to green gemstone which has a very high dispersion.  This means that the light which goes into the gem is broken down into a rainbow of colors, similar to diamond. The optical properties of this gem are exceptional, far superior to most other gemstones.  Sphene is actually one of the very finest of all gems, and only the low hardness and rarity of rough keep it from gaining real popularity. It has a hardness of only about five and half, so it is not suitable as a ring stone.  It is definitely a collector stone, and not something one would see offered for sale in most jewelry stores. Large amounts of gem quality rough have never been available on the market, and only a small amount of this gem is available at any time.

Fine yellow and green gems come from Baja California in Mexico, and some fine green examples are also mine in Brazil.  Because the crystals tend to be thin, most examples of this gemstone are somewhat small, however gems up to about 10 carats and occasionally be found.  In spite of its rarity and unusual colors, it is a moderately priced gemstone. Virtually all Sphene gems are fully natural, as there are no well-known treatment techniques used on this stone.