Did Strontium Titanate Truly Shine Brighter Than A Diamond?
During the 1950s, a lot of titanates were developed, but strontium titanate has a particularly interesting history even by these standards.
Known as tausonite after the Russian geochemist Lev Tauson, strontium titanate might be amongst the most famous and well-known of all titanate, in no small part because it was one of the first and most fascinating diamond simulants on the market.
Its properties were similar in some respects, and when cut and polished like a natural diamond, it actually shone brighter than the natural precious stone it was compared to.
They had similar lustre, scintillation and brilliance, but tausonite had a much brighter fire, which is the prismatic effect that occurs when light passes through it.
The striking rainbow effect it caused made it immediately popular in the jewellery trade, particularly given it was far cheaper than natural diamonds during a decades-long period of price fixing by one of the biggest diamond producers in the world.
It was given a lot of different names, although the most famous one that retained momentum in the marketplace was “Fabulite”. However, “Marvelite”, “Dynagem” and “Diagem” were also used at various points.
The beautiful fire kept it popular for decades, even amidst concerns that its much lower hardness compared to natural precious stones meant that keys and loose change could cause scratches.
However, this did eventually lead manufacturers to hunt for alternatives, which eventually led to the rise of yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG), gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) and cubic zirconia, the latter of which became as famous a name as tausonite in diamond simulant circles.
Eventually, the synthesis of moissanite replaced almost every other simulated diamond on the market, but despite this, the sheer brightness of the stone has meant that it has managed to remain popular for costume jewellery pieces that will not be scratched or bumped, such as brooches and earrings.
