Titanite

Titanite

By Tim Matthews, JD, FGA, GG, DGA,
CEO and President of JTV (retired)
Published: June 2014
Modified: August 2022
Titanite Polished Titanite Rough Titanite Jewelry

Titanite gets its name from the titanium in its chemical makeup. Gem quality material is known as sphene. The crystals form as wedge shapes and twinning is common. The color can range from yellow to red, brown, brownish, or yellowish green to green, and black. Specimens can have adamantine luster and high dispersion. Titanite has a high birefringence.

General Information

Common Name
Titanite
Species
Titanite
Transparency
Opaque-Translucent
Dispersion
Strength: Strong Fire Value: 0.051
Refractive Index
Over The Limit 1.843-2.110 Tolerance: (+0.020/-0.020)
Birefringence
0.100- 0.160
Optic Sign
Positive
Polariscope Reaction
Doubly Refractive (DR)
Fluorescence
SWUV: Inert to weak brown
LWUV: Inert
Pleochroism
Trichroic, (in green gems) strong greenish yellow, yellow to brown, and colorless; (in brown gems) strong yellow, reddish-orange, and brownish yellow and brownish orange, (in yellow gems) moderate to strong greenish yellow, brownish-orange, and colorless
Streak
White
Specific Gravity
3.600-3.480 Typical:3.520
Toughness
Fair
Inclusions
Titanite occasionally contains tiny crystals that align in straight rows or "feathers", natural inclusions, actinolite needles. Twinning is common. Stones have strong dispersion and eye-visible doubling.
Luster
Adamantine, SubAdamantine, Resinous
Fracture
Conchoidal, Subconchoidal, Splintery
Cleavage
Good, in one direction
Chemical Name
calcium titanium silicate
Chemical Formula
CaTiSiO5
Crystal System
Monoclinic

Titanite Colors

  • Black Titanite
    Black
  • Brown Titanite
    Brown
  • Colorless Titanite
    Colorless
  • Gray Titanite
    Gray
  • Green Titanite
    Green
  • Multi-color Titanite
    Multi-color
  • Orange Titanite
    Orange
  • Yellow Titanite
    Yellow

Alternate Names

Shpene

Countries of Origin

Papua New Guinea; Angola; Cambodia; Kazakhstan; Paraguay; Portugal; Greece; Mongolia; Morocco; Unknown; Mali; Panama; Guatemala; Guyana; Chile; Nepal; Argentina; Ghana; Zambia; India; Canada; Turkey; Belgium; Namibia; Comoros; Finland; South Africa; Peru; Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of); Germany; Tanzania, United Republic Of; Fiji; Viet Nam; Guinea; Chad; Somalia; Madagascar; Thailand; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Equatorial Guinea; Libya; Sweden; Malawi; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Poland; Bulgaria; Syrian Arab Republic; Cook Islands; Sri Lanka; United Arab Emirates; Kenya; Switzerland; Spain; Djibouti; Azerbaijan; Cuba; Burkina Faso; Mauritania; Congo (the Democratic Republic of the); Australia; Tajikistan; Myanmar; Cameroon; Malaysia; Iceland; Oman; Armenia; Gabon; Austria; Mozambique; El Salvador; Korea (the Republic of); Brazil; Algeria; Cabo Verde; Jersey; Slovenia; Colombia; Ecuador; Iran (Islamic Republic of); Hungary; Republic of Kosovo; Japan; Belarus; Taiwan (Province of China); Bolivia (Plurinational State of); New Zealand; Senegal; Micronesia (Federated States of); Italy; Antarctica; Ethiopia; Haiti; Afghanistan; Burundi; Russian Federation; Czechia; United States of America; Egypt; Sierra Leone; Saudi Arabia; Pakistan; China; Ireland; Slovakia; France; Lithuania; Serbia; Kyrgyzstan; Cote D'Ivoire; Romania; Niger; Philippines; Rwanda; Uzbekistan; Bangladesh; Norway; Denmark; Dominican Republic; Mexico; Uganda; Zimbabwe; Greenland; Indonesia

Care

Titanite is a soft stone, so be mindful of scratching.