Zincite - $2.00/carat
Locality: Poland 

This material is man-made by accident... It was found in a smelter in Poland after the furnace walls had developed a crack. These crystals formed in the air vents, it must have been quite a site for the person who discovered them.

This material is not to be confused with the Zincite that some labs are creating now. This material can be tough to cut because it is fairly soft 4.5 to 5 hardness (usually polishing is where things get difficult). There is cleavage present so use a fine lap to rough in with. The refractive index is 2.01 (very high) and as you can see the colors are vibrant and most of these pieces are crystal shapes (which means that they can be sliced up for good yield). These stones really have a lot of life in them...

Note: I have seen this material cut/faceted being sold for quite a lot of money, there does seem to be a collector's market (for large stones), for the red orange color in particular.

Currently Available:
1 each 44.5 carats - $89.00 yellow/orange, crystal - 8mm x 50.3mm x 6.6mm deep
1 each 421.0 carats - $842.00 red/orange, cut rounds on "c" axis - 17.5mm x 76.5mm x 16.5mm deep
1 each 35.0 carats - $70.00 bi color yellow/orange, crystal - 9.7mm x 31.7mm x 8.5mm deep
1 each 24.0 carats - $48.00 yellow, crystal - 7.1mm x 31mm x 7mm deep
1 each 116.5 carats - $233.00 red/orange, crystal - 11.3mm x 59mm x 10.5mm deep
1 each 45.0 carats - $90.00 yellow, crystal - 7.3mm x 7.2mm x 51.6mm deep
1 each 36.1 carats - $144.00 orange/red, crystal - 8.5mm x 26.5mm x 7.3mm deep
1 each 110.0 carats - $220.00 yellow/orange, crystal - 9mm x 6.3mm x 8.3mm deep
1 each 49.5 carats - $99 orange, crystal - 9mm x 39mm x 9mm deep
1 each 100.0 carats - $200.00 orange, crystal - 13.5mm x 39.3mm x 12mm deep
1 each 253.0 carats - $506.00 red/orange, cut rounds on "c" axis - 17.5mm x 43mm x 16.8mm deep
1 each 297.0 carats - $594.00 red/orange, cut rounds on "c" axis/rectangles - 18.5mm x 60.2mm x 10.8mm deep
1 each 36.50 carats - $73.00 yellow/orange, crystal - 9.3mm x 28.2mm x 9.3mm deep
1 each 78.0 carats - $156.00 red/orange, best cut rectangle - 13.5mm x 26mm x 12.5mm deep
1 each 65.0 carats - $130.00 orange, crystal - 11.3mm x 42.2mm x 9mm deep
1 each 712.5 carats - $1425.00 red/orange, cut rounds on "c" axis - 20.4mm x 114mm x 19.2mm deep
1 each 68.50 carats - $137.00 yellow/orange, crystal - 9.4mm x 51.5mm x 8.9mm deep
1 each 15.5 carats - $31.00 yellow/orange, sligthtly tapered crystal - 6.5mm x 25.8mm x 6mm deep
1 each 142.0 carats - $284.00 red/orange, crystal - 15.5mm x 49.2mm x 13.5mm deep

Synthetics Index

E-mail to inquire or order: jeff@faceters.com or jeff@cabbers.com