The Very Highest Quality Sphene Information...


Sphene Back to A - Z IndexChard 24 Carat Home Page

Oval Sphene
8x6mm Oval Sphene

Sphene

General
Sphene is a brilliant transparent yellowish-green or green gemstone with a high lustre and pronounced fire. Its name comes from the word sphen meaning wedge shaped, as it normally occurs in wedge shaped crystals. Although sphene is rather soft, it is always cut as a facetted stone, which suits its lively appearance, rather than a cabochon, which is more normal for stones softer than 7 on Moh's scale. If used in rings, it should be worn with care because its softness means it will scratch relatively easily.
Another name for sphene is titanate, because of its titanium content, but this is often reserved for the black or reddish brown non-gem quality material.

Colour
Sphene is usually yellow brown or green. The specimen in our photograph shows flashes of red.

Many Coloured
Sphene is trichroic, the colours for the main axes being greenish yellow, reddish yellow, and almost colourless, the exact shades depending on the body colour of the stone. The dispersion of sphene is higher than that of diamond.

Sources
Sphene is found in Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Madagascar, Burma, and Mexico.

Technical Information
Chemical Composition and NameCalcium Titanium Silicate CaTiSiO5
Hardness5 to 5.5
Refractive Index1.885 - 1.990 to 1.915 - 2.050
Bi-refringence0.105 to 0.135
Optic SignPositive
Optical CharacterBiaxial
Specific Gravity3.45 - 3.56

GemstoneWeightShapeSize & DescriptionAvailablePrice £ Price $
Sphene1.45Oval8x6Yes£48.00$Ask



...at the Lowest Possible Price

32 - 36 Harrowside, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY4 1RJ, England.
Telephone (44) - (0) 1253 - 343081 ; Fax 408058; E-mail: info@chards.co.uk
The URL for our main page is: https://24carat.co.uk
Web Design by Snoop