Name: Sphalerite

Moh Scale Hardeness: 3.5 – 4

Specific Gravity: 3.9 – 4.1

Refractive Index: 2.37

Colours: Yellow, Red, Orange, Green.

GIA Gem Type: 2

The obscure gemstone Sphalerite is notable for its brilliance of light dispersion, or fire.

Fire is the quality for which diamonds are so highly prized, but this quality is also found in other gemstones such as zircons and demantoid garnets.

The intensity of fire in Sphalerite outshines them all, being three times greater than that of diamond. Its refractive index also approaches that of diamond, which has an index of 3. That is why Sphalerite is classified as adamantine or diamond-like.

This gem’s drawbacks are its relatively low hardness, which precludes having Sphalerite mounted in rings. Also, this obscure beauty is haunted by a lack of decent marketing in the industry.

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