Zultanite

Zultanite is the trade name for gem-quality, color-change diaspore mined in the Anatolian mountains of Turkey. (The same material is also sold as Csarite; the underlying mineral is diaspore, an aluminum oxide hydroxide.) Its signature is a quiet, expensive-looking color shift: a soft green-gold or khaki in daylight that warms to pink, champagne, and raspberry under incandescent and candlelight.

It is a single-source, relatively new-to-market gem — commercial mining began in the 2000s — and it is untreated: the color change is entirely natural. The shift is subtler and more pastel than alexandrite’s dramatic green-to-red, which is precisely its appeal to people who find alexandrite too theatrical.

Color

Treatments

None. Zultanite/diaspore is sold exactly as cut from natural rough — no heat, no irradiation. Its color and color-change are natural, which is a meaningful part of its story and value.

Daily wear

At Mohs ~6.5–7 with perfect cleavage, diaspore is best in earrings, pendants, and protected ring settings rather than exposed everyday solitaires. It is more durable than apatite or opal but, like kunzite, prefers a setting that shields it from sharp knocks. Clean gently with warm soapy water.