Sphalerite - Calcite

ZnS and CaCO3 - Mohs Hardness: 3 1/2 - 4 and 3.  Crystals of suitable size and transparency have been fashioned into gemstones, usually featuring the brilliant cut to best display the stone's high optical dispersion. Freshly cut gems have a lively, adamantine luster and could be mistaken for fancy-colored diamonds, but given sphalerite's softness and fragility, the gems are best left unset as collector's items or museum pieces.
Abstract/Description: ZnS and CaCO3 - Mohs Hardness: 3 1/2 - 4 and 3. Crystals of suitable size and transparency have been fashioned into gemstones, usually featuring the brilliant cut to best display the stone's high optical dispersion. Freshly cut gems have a lively, adamantine luster and could be mistaken for fancy-colored diamonds, but given sphalerite's softness and fragility, the gems are best left unset as collector's items or museum pieces.
Subject(s): Minnesota, United States
environmental sciences