ArtFire

Vintage sphene, a round brilliant cut 10.0 mm faceted gemstone weighing 4.22 carats.

Sphene, more properly known as titanite, is a brilliant yellowish-green, green or brown gemstone with dispersion that exceeds that of diamond. Dispersion is the capacity of a gemstone to separate white light into its component colors, like a prism. The separated light rays travel through the gem along slightly different paths, emerging as distinct colors when they reach the observer's eye. This phenomenon produces the "fire" that makes diamond so attractive and desirable. The dispersion of titanite is about 20% higher than that of diamond, creating a spectacular display of bright colors. Proper cutting is required to optimize this effect.

The mineralogical name "titanite" derives from the material's composition, calcium titanium silicate. Sphene is a relatively soft gemstone (5.5 on the Mohs scale, about the same as opal) and is therefore best suited for pendants, earrings or brooches, and not for rings. This stone has minor tiny nicks on the girdle but these are not readily seen without magnification.

Much of the sphene that reaches the market has a strong body color (commonly green or yellowish-brown) but has not been cut properly and therefore lacks fire. Heavily included material also lacks a strong play of colors because the imperfections interrupt the light traveling through the stone.

This particular stone is from Baja California, Mexico. It is a rich green color and is nearly eye-clean. The cutting is near perfect, with no 'window' to leak light out the back of the stone, and the proportions and cutting angles were designed to maximize the gem's spectacular display of fire. The stone appears either yellowish or greenish under different light sources.

Sphene is quite rare and only in recent years has enough been mined to serve the modest (so far) needs of commercial market demand. Price is a function of color, clarity and size, and truly clean stones over 1-2 carats are hard to find. The price is for the one faceted sphene, which was mined in Mexico in the 1970s. The shipping cost includes insurance within the U.S.


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This particular stone is from Baja California, Mexico. It is a rich green color and is nearly eye-clean. The cutting is near perfect, with no 'window' to leak light out the back of the stone, and the proportions and cutting angles were designed to maximize the gem's spectacular display of fire. The stone appears either yellowish or greenish under different light sources