Fluorescent hackmanite sphere 291g 58mm

Fluorescent hackmanite sphere 291g 58mmA polished hackmanite sphere of 58mm and 291g. In white light the surface shows a pale cream white base with scattered soft pink lavender hackmanite zones, irregular patches of dark grey feldspar, rust brown iron oxide spots distributed across the surface, and natural crack lines following the mineral structure. The patterning gives the sphere a distinctly planetary character in daylight. The pink lavender zones are the hackmanite in its tenebrescent

A polished hackmanite sphere of 58mm and 291g. In white light the surface shows a pale cream-white base with scattered soft pink-lavender hackmanite zones, irregular patches of dark grey feldspar, rust-brown iron oxide spots distributed across the surface, and natural crack lines following the mineral structure. The patterning gives the sphere a distinctly planetary character in daylight. The pink-lavender zones are the hackmanite in its tenebrescent state, activated by ambient light exposure. Under longwave UV (365nm) the display shifts entirely: the feldspar matrix emits a blue-white fluorescence across much of the sphere, the hackmanite zones glow orange-pink, and dark non-fluorescent patches create contrast. The result is a multi-color UV display where two minerals within the same sphere respond in completely different colors.

Tenebrescence is hackmanite's reversible photochromic property: unexposed, the mineral appears white to pale grey; UV or sunlight shifts it to pink or violet, and ordinary indoor light or darkness bleaches it back. The pink-lavender zones on the daylight face are the hackmanite's tenebrescent color. The 365nm UV image reveals what the daylight view cannot: the multi-mineral composition of the host rock, with the blue-white fluorescing feldspar and the orange fluorescing hackmanite each occupying distinct zones. A sphere cut from a single mineral would glow uniformly; this one has two minerals glowing in different colors under the same UV source, which is what makes the display unusual. From Badakhshan, Afghanistan.

• Stone type: Natural hackmanite (tenebrescent sodalite)
• Weight: 291g
• Size: 58mm
• Color: White, pale pink, grey
• Fluorescence (365nm): Strong orange (hackmanite zones), blue-white (feldspar matrix)
• Cut: Sphere
• Clarity: Opaque
• Treatment: Untreated
• Origin: Afghanistan

Natural hackmanite sphere, 58mm, tenebrescent, Afghanistan.