Gems TV

ZULTANITE

Astonishingly beautiful, durable, exotic and rare, Zultanite is an extraordinary colour change gemstone. Like Tanzanite, Zultanite is so rare that it is only found in one location worldwide, high in Turkey’s Anatolian Mountains. A rising star in fine jewellery, it’s easy to fall in love with Zultanite’s sparklingly brilliant, tranquil earthy colours. GemsTV is delighted to extend the privilege of owning this phenomenal gemstone to our valued customers.

First faceted in the late seventies (1977), Zultanite is an extremely rare gemstone that despite its beauty and suitability for jewellery was previously plagued by scant availability. While an article in “Gems & Gemmology” magazine (Winter 1994) indicated that supplies were promising, this hasn’t translated into the availability of good quality gems until recently. While some jewellers previously sourced limited quantities of this gem marketed under their mineral name Diaspore, please don’t confuse the two. Zultanite is your guarantee that each gem has been optimally cut by some of the world’s most experienced lapidaries.

Zultanite’s mineral name “Diaspore”, comes from the Greek word “diaspora”, meaning “to scatter”. While Diaspore was discovered in Mramorskoi, Kossoibrod, Ural Mountains, Russia in 1801, the Turkish deposit remains the world’s only source of Zultanite. Zultanite was named by Murat Akgun in honour of the 36 sultans who founded the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia in the late 13th century.

Legends and lore

Some people believe Zultanite can assist in the development of psychic power, astral force, ambition, intellect, desire and emotions based on intellect and touch.

Just the facts

The beauty and intrigue of this regal transparent gemstone lies in its different colours. Similar to the famous colour change gem Alexandrite, Zultanite can change from a kiwi green to a raspberry purplish-pink, depending on the light source. Incredibly, Zultanite can also exhibit khaki greens, sage greens, cognac pinks, pinkish champagnes and gingers. Zultanite’s kiwi greens with canary flashes are noticeable under sunny skies (candescent light), while traditional indoor lighting will elicit rich champagne colours. During a candle lit dinner (incandescent light), the same gem reveals pink to raspberry hues. Zultanite’s darker raspberries are caused by higher manganese content. While just wearing Zultanite unveils its breathtakingly diverse colours, one of its most unique characteristics is that unlike other colour change gems, Zultanite’s best colour change is not dependant on dark tones. According to the leading gemstone author Antoinette Matlins, some women prefer the colours of Zultanite because they like the more subtle pastel contrast and find they complement earth tones (green, brown and gold), making the gem more wearable.

As if one phenomena wasn’t enough, some Zultanite also possess the coveted cat’s eye effect. Chatoyancy or the cat’s eye effect is a reflection effect that appears as a single bright band of light across the surface of a gemstone.

Although it was initially collected by mineral enthusiasts and independent miners in the mid eighties, Zultanite is now mined commercially. Mined by hand with chisels and pick-axes in Turkey’s Anatolian Mountains (Milas county of Mugla) at a height of over 1,200 metres, the world’s only Zultanite deposit is 11 kilometres away from the nearest village of Selimiye. But its rarity isn’t just dictated by its natural scarcity and remoteness, Zultanite tests the skills of even experienced cutters due to the difficultly in correctly orientating each crystal to accentuate its inherent colour change.

With up to 98% of the crystal lost during cutting, its unbelievably low yield (2%) really reinforces the exclusivity of this truly beautiful gemstone and is one of the reasons Zultanite is so rare, especially in larger sizes (over 5 carats).