ZULTANITE

Astonishingly beautiful, durable, exotic and rare, Zultanite is an extraordinary color 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 jewelry, it's easy to fall in love with Zultanite's sparklingly brilliant, tranquil earthy colors. 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 jewelry was previously plagued by scant availability. While an article in "Gems & Gemology" magazine (Winter 1994) indicated that supplies were promising, this hasn't translated into the availability of good quality gems until recently. While some jewelers 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 honor 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 colors. Similar to the famous color 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 colors. 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 colors, one of its most unique characteristics is that unlike other color change gems, Zultanite's best color change is not dependant on dark tones. According to the leading gemstone author Antoinette Matlins, some women prefer the colors 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 4,000 feet, the world's only Zultanite deposit is 7 miles 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 color 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).