Detailed sheet

titanite

Identified in 1795, its name expresses its high content of titanium.
It has long been known as sphene, which came from the Greek “sphenos” for corner, which described very well the shape of its wedge-shaped crystals.
Brookite, of the same composition, crystallizes in another crystal system : orthorhombic and with an even larger dispersion.
Mineralogists call it titanite but the old name of sphene is most used by gemologists.
There is a chromian variety emerald green.



CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS

CaTi[SiO5]

calcium and titanium silicate



PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Main color

yellow

Other colors

brown, red, green

Color of streak

white

Luster

adamantine, resinous

Hardness

5.0 to 5.5

Density

3.40 to 3.55

Cleavage

good

Fracture

conchoidal, uneven



OPTICAL PROPERTIES

Transparency

transparent

Refractive index

1.845 - 2.100

Double refraction

0.100

very strong biaxial positive

visible double refraction

Yes

Dispersion

0.051(0.035)

Pleochroism

strong

Number of colors

3

colorless, yellow green, reddish

Absorption spectrum

586 - 582

Fluorescence

none



CRYSTALS PROPERTIES

flattened, sharp, often with characteristics wedge shaped crystals, also massive

crystals system

monoclinic



OTHER INFORMATIONS

Astrological sign

Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Virgo

Exploited
sites

Fairly widespread, it is found in the massifs of Lovozero and Khibiny (Kola Peninsula, Russia), in the Austrian, Italian, Swiss and French Alps, in Norway (Arendal and Kragero), Burma, Brazil, the U.S., Mexico, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Pakistan.

use in jewelry

Because of its intense fires (higher than the diamond) and its brightness, it is brilliant cut and is very collected. The stones yellow-green have red”lights” (bursts of color).

Daily care
and precautions

fragile because of its weak hardness

imitations and
treatments

By heat treatment, brown titanite becomes red or orange.

Historical
healing properties

Titanite would act on the solar plexus chakra and intervene in all the higher chakras and activate them. It would provoke the desire to succeed, enthusiasm, creative cheerfulness, determination to go forward.

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Gems

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