Titanite or Sphene

Titanite or Sphene: Calcium and Titanium silicate with the formula CaTi(O)SiO4. It crystallizes in the Monoclinic System as flattened prismatic crystals and also occurs in massive form. Colors range from colorless to yellow, brown, and pink. Density is 3.45–3.55 g/cm³, Mohs hardness 5–5.5, and refractive index ranges are 1.843–1.950, 1.870–2.034, and 1.943–2.110.

(Photo: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0/Wikimedia Commons, License CC BY-SA 3.0)

back to the gemological glossary