|
Spinel is
the great imposter of gemstone history : many famous rubies
in crown jewels around the world are actually red spinel.
Most often seen in red and pink, Spinel is less seen in
blue, purple and other colours. Because synthetic spinelis
so common on birthstone and class rings, most people don’t
realize that there is a natural gem too.
History and Lore
The Black
Prince’s Ruby in the British Imperial State Crown is
actually a magnificient 170 carat red spinel.
The Timur
Ruby, a 352-carat red Spinel now owned byqueen Elizabeth,
carries its history on its surface : It is engraved with the
names of the Moghul emperors who once owned it.
In
Myanmar(Burma), where some of the most beautiful colours are
mined, spinek was recognized as a separate gem species as
early as 1587. In other countries the confusion continued
for centuries more.
Quality,
Value and availability
Spinel is
actually more rare than ruby or sapphire, the gems it is
most often confused with.
Now
treasured for its own sake, spinel is a favourite of gem
collectors due to its brilliance, hardness and a range of
spectacular colours. It is much more affordable than the
equivalent colours of ruby and sapphire.
The most
sought-after shade of spinel is the vivid red that rivals
ruby. Spinel can more often be found in range of beautiful
pastel shades of pink and purple. Of particular interest is
a vivid hot pink with a tinge of orange that is mined in
Burma, sometimes referred to as “flame” spinel.
Spinle
also comes ina beautiful blue coloured by cobolt, but this
colour is very rare.
Reds and
blues are more valuable, while pastel shades will be less
per carat.
Spinel is
most often faceted in oval, round or cushion shapes
Sources
The most
famous sources of spinek are Myanmar(Burma), where red,
pink, and hot orangy pink spinel is found and SriLanka where
mostly soft pinks and purples are foiund.
The
Tadjikstan deposit in the Pamir mountains has produced many
large spectacular gems in a beautiful pink colour.
Spinek is
also mined in Tanzania, Combodia, Vietnam, Madagascar and
Thailand.
Routine Enhancements
There is
no routine enhancement of spinel.
Care and Cleaning
Spinel is
a durable gemstone that is perfect for all jewelry users,
with a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale.
Clean
spinel with mild dish soap : use a tooth brush to scrub
behind the stone where dust can collect.
|
