Titanite

A calcium titanium silicate famous for wedge-shaped crystals and gems with more fire than diamond.

Titanite specimen — Photo: Fred Kruijen, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify titanite

Flattened, wedge- or envelope-shaped crystals.
Bright, almost diamond-like luster.
Hardness about 5 — a knife scratches it.

Often confused with

Andradite
Demantoid is harder and forms rounded crystals.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Madagascar
Austria
Ontario, Canada

Uses

Collector specimens and gems.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

Titanite disperses light into rainbow colors even more strongly than diamond.

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