Intermediates
Gallantry and accessories
Surely you are well acquainted with the Turkish series "The Magnificent Century." A special ornament for the heroine Hurrem became a ring with a mysterious stone, which was given to her by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent himself. What are the characteristics of this stone and why was it so valuable in the Turkish state?
Zultanite as a unique stone
Zultanite(zultanite, sultanite), a semi-precious stone known in Turkey as Diaspore, has taken the hearts of lovers of ethnic jewelry by storm - especially since it was once worn by Sultana Hurrem herself! This stone was chosen for her by Suleiman the Magnificent - because he stated that such a wonderful and unique woman should be endowed with an equally amazing "shine". The mineral Zultanite changes colors depending on the type of light that falls on it. The color also changes when you stand with the stone at a different angle - a different color shows up in both daylight and night light. Jewelry with this "luminescence" is extremely surprising, because it can change its expression even... several times a day. The larger the stone will be, for example, in a ring, the better you can see the changes occurring on the cut sheet.
White light can change the color of the stone into lime green. On the other hand, walking into a gently lit room with it, we can see the color change from champagne to cinnamon. It is enough to go outside with it, so that the semi-precious stone becomes peach-colored or even... pink. The colors often overlap, even intermingle - so it's hard to tell which one you see at any given time. It is this "otherness" that has made Zultanite the most unique stone in Turkey.
Origin and name of Zultanite / Sultanite
Zultanite stone occurs naturally only in Turkey, specifically in the mountainous areas of Anatolia. It is most often mined in the Ilbir Mountains, in southwestern Turkey (at an altitude of about 1,200 meters above sea level). It is a very rare specimen, whose area of occurrence is also limited. This is why it was not used on a large scale, i.e. for ethnic jewelry, for many years. The name Zultanite was given to the mineral by Murat Akgun (a Turkish jeweler) in honor of the 36 sultans who established the Ottoman Empire in Turkey in the late 12th century. By specialists, the Zultanite stone is compared to alexandrite - but in this case there is a whole range of colors, not just two basic colors.
The mineral was particularly popular at the Sultan's court. The ability to change the color, for example on rings or bracelets, made it possible to effectively confuse foreign envoys whom the Sultan received in the Main Hall. It was enough to unveil the curtains for the stone to suddenly change its color in front of everyone's eyes, thus suggesting the presence of a powerful force and real... magic. In the 19th century it was very often said that Zultanite could guess a person's fate - hence it was even used by fortune tellers, who used the color change and cracks on the stone in predicting the future. It has also been scientifically proven that the mineral changes color as the temperature rises, and when heated, it breaks into... pieces. With its help you can supposedly also identify gold! If you place the stone near it, the luster and color of the jewelry suddenly disappear. Reportedly, this is how it was once determined whether gold is real or fake.
Zultanite - love at first sight
There is no denying that Turkish women have always loved this stone. Any lady (even a not very beautiful one!) with jewelry adorned with Zultanite suddenly became attractive in the eyes of others. Its cool luster gave Turkish jewelry a luxurious look and mysteriousness. Well, everyone wanted to own such a mineral - however, not everyone could... afford it. What else was this stone so adored for, not only by women, but also by the Sultans themselves? Well, it was attributed to the aforementioned magical properties, which, for example, were supposed to enhance perseverance in pursuit of a goal - which was especially important for rulers conquering new territories in numerous wars. Zultanite attracted creative inspiration, but also stimulated imagination - which in turn made it beloved by Turkish artists. The stone was also said to relieve any bearer of bad moods, and protect from bad people and their negative influence. No wonder Suleiman the Magnificent "hunted" a ring made of Zultanite for Hurrem. Because who wouldn't want to get the most coveted trinket in the entire country from a loved one?
