Lithium Tantalate Faceted Stones, Sparkly Tantalia Loose Gems Gem:Round, 3mm, 0.25ct It weighs in at 11

It weighs in at 11

While it is used in a variety of infrared laser systems it is surprisingly hard to actually get as industrial scrap--this is because the material is usually annealed immediately after growth

This is a zincite crystal that I faceted

Cutting these pieces is an easy way to start making dice

When it's grown with industrial purity

Lithium Tantalate Faceted Stones, Sparkly Tantalia Loose Gems Gem:Round, 3mm, 0.25ct It weighs in at 11These are lab created white lithium tantalate gems. Lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) is an old rarity of the gem world and rarely seen today outside of industry. It was briefly used as a diamond simulant and marketed as 'tantalia', but was never very successful tantalate is much brighter and more dispersive than a diamond,so there was an obvious difference when cut. Faceted lithium tantalate gems give off brilliant rainbows of color, so it's an amazing gem