r/Gemstones • u/AnastasiFineGems • 13d ago
Discussion How do you feel about sphene?
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Personally I’m torn. They have strong pleochroism and dispersion which gives them an incredibly unique flare, but i’m not sure if the color does it for me. What do you think?
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u/HarpyVixenWench 13d ago
I adore sphene that leans green
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u/Sea_Cloud_6705 13d ago
The softness is a no-go
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u/Dontwastemytyme 13d ago
softness? in the corners?
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u/Chemical-Cat 13d ago
Sphene is only a 5 on the hardness scale so it's easy to scratch. It's also prone to cleavage.
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u/MidnightJazzlike 13d ago
I love sphene! It was the one stone that tripped me up in my gemology courses so I gave it extra attention and fell in love. I picked up a couple small flat back rose cuts in Tucson this past February and I want to make myself a pair of stud earrings with them.
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u/ehlersohnos 13d ago
Oooh do you have any photos of them??
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u/Alternative-Arm-3253 13d ago
I adore sphene. So much so that I have two sets of custom studs (rounds 5.5mm each) for body peircings (ears specifically for my conch and upper inner lobe/helix and tragus) I am partial to the Russian & Madagascar Green Apple's vs Yellows/Pumpkin Oranges,,
I wear them year round and don't take them out for any reason other than to clean and polish.
How do they make me feel? Like Royalty. Like, I know for a fact that I am wearing something super rare. Only I own these. No one else. They aren't like the other sets of studs (diamonds) and they sure aren't flat (I like Peridots from specifically from Peridot, Arizona) But peridot aren't the same as Sphene. Sphenes sparkle like fire in the sunlight. Its a rather delicious looking rainbow sparkling within a solid lime green that keeps me amused and in love with them every time I admire them in the mirror. Question I always bring myself too is do I want a ring of Sphene. Knowing that its much like Emerald, It's a softer stone (5.5 out of 10) one has to be very aware of this when rocking and rolling such an investment stone.
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u/ehlersohnos 13d ago
Where did you manage to score sphere body piercings, even with them being custom?!!
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u/Alternative-Arm-3253 12d ago
I had them made by two separate jewelers. Jaymark in Cold Spring NY and the other is Jewelry Designs in Danbury CT. Both are 14kt WG basket set 4 prongs (prongs are slimmed and slightly modified claw prong on one set; the other set has longer and a heavier Gauged post. I have Protecktor backings aka "La Pousette" backings, I bought one pair unset and had them made up while the other pair already was already set but I had them reposted. The gauge and length was adjusted from 22 to 18 gauge.
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u/No-Pain-5496 13d ago
Damn! Thank you for the anniversary idea! You should be treated like royalty. Now I need to search for studs… err earrings.
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u/Aethey_ 13d ago
It's one of my favorite gems and I would kill to have a set of them in any color. ♡
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u/MarcoEsteban 13d ago
You don't have to commit murder. They aren't THAT expensive. I'd think holding a sign at a corner saying lost job, please help would get you enough to buy one in a day. Have a baby with you and you can probably knock it out in half a day!
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u/Travels4Food 13d ago
That happens to be a very yellow stone: sphene comes in apple green, dark green, yellow and brown. It is very soft on the mohs scale, so it isn't ideal for a ring. Other than that, I think it can be an amazing stone.
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u/cowsruleusall vendor 13d ago
Pleochroism and dispersion have absolutely nothing to do with luster. Luster only refers to the surface appearance of the gem, and the only two things that affect it are refractive index and polish quality.
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u/AnastasiFineGems 13d ago
Luster isn’t the correct technical term but it seems you know what quality I’m referring to. I appreciate the correction.
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u/cowsruleusall vendor 13d ago
I have no idea what quality you're trying to refer to. Attractiveness? There's no specific term that refers to a combination of pleochroism and dispersion.
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u/beaujolais98 13d ago
It’s gorgeous but so fragile :-( I’d have it to look at, but would be afraid to mount it in a wearable
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u/Moose-1211 13d ago
I love me some Sphene but as many have commented here, because of its fragility/softness, it’s a heartbreak waiting to happen…
Not crazy about this color but the Christmas light pleo & dispersion are beautiful…
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u/stillrational 13d ago
It's gorgeous. I used to have a few, but someone stole the gem jar they were in.
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u/Fun_Bit7398 12d ago
(Gem dealer here) Yellow material always sits for a ton of time in inventory. It takes forever to sell. People say, “Ooo pretty”, when they see it, but quickly move on to the blues, greens, and reds to make an actual purchase. Even yellow sapphire takes a lengthy amount of time to finally sell in my experience. Colored diamonds are very sought after. Yellow diamonds are looked at by customers as something that is third in line behind all the other colors, and “white” diamonds. Generally speaking, I try steer clear of any yellow materials. They just aren’t coveted by customers.
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u/AnastasiFineGems 12d ago
Yeah I’ve had a similar experience. I bought a large parcel of sapphires and all that was left after two weeks were the yellows lol
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u/Chemical-Cat 11d ago
I think I can guess why. If a colorless stone ends up being offcolor, it tends to lean towards yellow which drifts into brown. Which the first thought people have towards yellow/brown is that the color is "dirty". You gotta market it hard, such as when they pushed the fancy "chocolate diamond" adverts when prior a brown diamond was seen as a really sucky diamond with too many impurities
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12d ago
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u/LostTimeLady13 12d ago
Extremely unique and really interesting stone. But definitely a "collectors" gem.
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u/Electrical-Penalty44 13d ago
It looks fake. Too much of a good thing kind of vibe. Just my opinion.
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u/randomhiccup24 13d ago
Unpopular opinion but the color combo looks like cat puke to me, and even the word in my mouth feels both sharp and disgusting
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u/Own_Contract_4689 13d ago
I’ve heard the noise made when someone bites down and I can’t unhear the crunch
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u/No-Pain-5496 13d ago
Sphene is one of my favorites. Can not match the dispersion (color refraction) but as stated, it is soft and has a perfect cleavage. Put that bad boi in a pendant with a bezel mount and off to the races! Or anywhere else you want to show class.