All You Need To Know About Sphene And Its Uses

Posted by Kristen White
8
May 2, 2018
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Sphene, also known as titanite is made up of calcium titanium silicate. You will rarely spot it in collections and jewelry. So if you buy sphene stone, you will be having a valuable possession. It is called titanite because it is a titanium ore. The origin of the name Sphene is the Greek language for the wedge. This describes the shape of the crystal’s ends.



For many years Sphene has been prized because of the amount of glow and is now well known around the world because it is scarce. Discoveries of new sources are available and the market is slowly recognizing its presence. The Sphene we see in the market today hails from Madagascar, Brazil, Australia, and Switzerland.

Usually, Sphene is small and is virtually impossible to find gems that are bigger than two carats. There is a yellow sphene collection in Washington DC at Smithsonian Institution from Switzerland. The collection is arranged in a necklace.

Sphene is not a usual gem you spot anywhere and it is very gorgeous to look at. Its fire glow is more than what you see in diamonds but it can’t stand much abuse due to its fragile nature. Placed on the hardness scale, it only rates 5.5. This fragility does not allow it to be used in making jewelry like rings but works well in making brooches, pendants, and earrings.

Properties of Sphene

Some of the properties of sphene include its fire, pleochroism, and adamantine luster like that in the diamonds. It includes multiple colors that include greenish yellow, colorless and brownish yellow. It is possible to get sphene that is grass green, yellow-brown, golden yellow, gray and blackish. In the faceted gems, you can witness rich colors and exceedingly high fire.

Often cases, the crystals are mixed or twinned to showcase their beauty and glow. The crystals of sphene are normally transparent and translucent. However, it is possible to find some that are (nearly) opaque.

The distribution of sphene is most commonly as an accessory mineral. This is particular in igneous rocks like nepheline, diorite, syenite, and granodiorite. You can also find Sphene in metamorphic rocks like granite, gneisses, schists, and in some limestone.
 
Sphene can be utilized in a variety of shapes like squares, pears, rounds, octagons, trillions, ovals, and cushions that make it look fancy. However, lapidarists always get challenges shaping sphene because of its brittle and soft nature. But they still enjoy it because the end results are stunningly appealing.

In general terms, sphene is not treated or enhanced in any way, albeit the color can be changed during the heating process. When you heat them they turn red or orange which is meaningless if there is natural sphene in these colors

Sphene aids the person using it to process information and improves his/her mind. It can greatly help a debater to remember what they need to. It is also excellent in studying and theorizing. Needless to say, it also improves our spiritual enlightenment makes it easy for us to eliminate the love cravings. Basically, if you buy sphene stone it teaches you to love yourself and pine less for the love of others.
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