Cleiophane

Cleiophane is a light-colored, usually yellowish, greenish, or very seldom colorless, variety of Sphalerite with low iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) content. Lighter colored examples of Cleiophane could be an nearly pure Zinc Sulfide (ZnS) variety with small or no iron or content that is manganese. The one known exception to Cleiophane being yellowish and light-colored or greenish is an occurance during the Mangazeiskoe Sn-Ag deposit, Verkhoyansk Silver Province, Sakha Republic, Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia where public of tiny crystals are dark red. This material happens to be tested to be completely iron free and having a content that is manganese of about 0.03%. Cleiophane makes for very gems that are beautiful its usually light colors allows its brilliance to show very well. Cleiophane features a really high refractive index of approximately 2.40, which is practically as high as Diamond at 2.435, and an dispersion that is extremely high. Among the better samples of Cleiophane gems come from mines associated with the Madan ore field, Rhodope Mountains, Smolyan Oblast, Bulgaria. Gems from this certain area are light to medium shades of green and can be very large, up to about 40 carats.

Locations for finding Cleiophane: Dzhezkazgan Mine, Krushev dol mine and Septemvri mine (Deveti Septemvri mine), Madan ore field, Rhodope Mountains, Smolyan Oblast, Bulgaria; in Kazakhstan at the Zhezqazghan Mine, Dzhezkazgan (Zhezqazghan), Karagandy Province (Qaragandy Oblysy; Karaganda Oblast’); in Russia at Mangazeiskoe Sn-Ag deposit, Mangazeisky ore cluster, Western Verkhoyansk District, Verkhoyansk Silver Province, Verkhoyansk Fold Belt, Sakha Republic (Saha Republic; Yakutia), Eastern-Siberian Region; Shkatulka pegmatite, Umbozero mine (Umbozerskii mine; Umba Mine), Alluaiv Mt, Lovozero Massif, Kola Peninsula, Murmanskaja Oblast’, Northern area, Russia; Banská Štiavnica (Schemnitz), Banská Štiavnica County, Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia; within the USA at Syndicate pit, Walkerville, Butte District (Summit Valley District), Silver Bow County, Montana; Joppa Hill, Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire; Franklin and Sterling Mines, Franklin Mining District, Sussex County, nj-new jersey