Judging quality
Look for the fire first: strong color flashes across the stone. Specimens are judged on wedge-shaped crystal form and adamantine lustre on undamaged faces.
Silicate
Sphene (Titanite)
Titanite, better known as sphene, has dispersion higher than diamond, throwing intense rainbow fire from every cut surface.
Care
Soft for a gemstone and brittle. Not suited to daily-wear rings; clean gently.
History & lore
Its name comes from the Greek sphenos, wedge, for its distinctive crystal shape.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Sphene (Titanite)
- What is Sphene (Titanite)?
- Titanite, better known as sphene, has dispersion higher than diamond, throwing intense rainbow fire from every cut surface.
- How hard is Sphene (Titanite) and what is it made of?
- Sphene (Titanite) is a Silicate-family mineral with the composition CaTiSiO5. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system and rates 5-5.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in green, yellow, brown.
- Where does Sphene (Titanite) come from?
- Notable localities for Sphene (Titanite) include Madagascar, Pakistan, Austria, Brazil.
- How do you tell good Sphene (Titanite) from filler?
- Look for the fire first: strong color flashes across the stone. Specimens are judged on wedge-shaped crystal form and adamantine lustre on undamaged faces.
- How do you care for Sphene (Titanite)?
- Soft for a gemstone and brittle. Not suited to daily-wear rings; clean gently.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.