Spinel

Very Special Spinels at AfricaGems
The quality of the Vietnamese and Tanzanian origin Spinel gemstones are very high. These spinels are known for their bright colors and brilliance. A gorgeous array of high-quality Pink, Red, Blue, and Purple Spinel Gems has just arrived here at AfricaGems. These breath-taking beauties display excellent life and clarity, as well as magnificent cuts. Sourced from Ceylon, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, and Burma; these exotic beauties are waiting to be made into the perfect piece of jewelry for your collection. Enjoy their bright colors, high quality, and affordable price tags! Check out our new collection today.

Spinel Gemstones - Learn About Spinel Gemstones
Spinel is a gemstone that has been used in jewelry for centuries. It is a durable stone that is known for its hardness and resistance to scratching and chipping. Spinel is found in a range of colors, including red, pink, purple, blue, and black. The most highly prized spinel is a deep red color, which is often mistaken for ruby.

Spinel is a popular choice for use in a variety of jewelry pieces, including rings, earrings, pendants, and bracelets. It is often set in gold or silver and paired with diamonds or other precious stones to create stunning, one-of-a-kind pieces.

In addition to its beauty and durability, spinel is also believed to have healing properties. It is thought to bring peace and tranquility to those who wear it, and is often given as a gift to symbolize love and commitment. Whether worn as a standalone piece or combined with other gemstones, spinel is a versatile and highly coveted gemstone that is sure to add a touch of elegance and sophistication to any jewelry collection.

Most people commonly associate the word Spinel with synthetic gemstones. Although Spinel gemstones. are among the most beautiful of all gemstones, they are not found in sufficient quantities to be marketable to the mass gemstone and jewelry markets. A super-fine red Spinel gemstone is rarer than a fine ruby! Spinel is only slightly softer than ruby or sapphire, and like it, has no cleavage. It is also one of the most brilliant of all gemstones and amongst the most durable of all gemstones. It is found in a huge range of colors, although not as many as sapphire. The main colors are red, reddish-orange, pink, pinkish-red, purple and even deep cobalt blue. Because of the spectacular colors and physical properties of Spinel gemstones, it is a favorite of custom jewelery designers.

Spinel Gemstone History and Lore
The earliest recorded use of a Spinel gemstone was in 100 BC, as an ornament on a Buddhist tomb in Afghanistan. The Romans also used it as jewelry. The first known systematic mining of Spinel was in Afghanistan about 750 AD. Many of the historic spinels were likely mined there. Many of the famous gemstones thought to be rubies in royal collections are actually spinels! The largest red Spinel of gem-quality is a 412 ct stone that is part of the Russian crown jewels. The world's largest collection of fine spinels is part of the former Crown jewels of Iran. It wasn't until 1587 that Spinel was recognized as a separate mineral species and gemstone.

Spinel Gemstone Sources and occurrences
Most spinel gemstones are mined from alluvial occurrences. The Mogok area in upper Burma is the source for some of the finest quality spinels and they occur in a variety of colors - red, pink, violet, orange, blue and rose. Some of the most brilliant and fascinating colors of spinels mined in the past few decades have been found in this gem mining area. In the past several years the locality of Mahenge in southern Tanzania has produced some incredible red and reddish orange spinels of impressive sizes and very fine qualities. Sri Lanka is also a major producer of spinels. Other sources are Tadzhikistan, Thailand and Pakistan.

Spinel Gemstone Evaluation and Valuation
Color, clarity and weight are the most important considerations in evaluating a spinels quality. Spinels are commonly found in larger sizes. Red is the most valuable color, followed by orange red, pinkish-red and purplish red. A fine vivid red Spinel is rarer than a ruby of equal quality, although it doesn't command a ruby's price per carat. As Spinel is commonly flawless, clarity is a much more important consideration than in Ruby. Many fine red spinels have some minute inclusions and are still highly valued. Spinel prices have soared in recent years due to increasing awareness of the gemstone and scarcity.

Striking Matched Pairs in Spinel Gemstones - All Colors of Spinels in Matched Pairs
According to the GIA Gem Encyclopedia, Spinel gems would win the award for "History's Most Underappreciated Gem". This is mostly due to the fact that before modern gemology most Spinel gemstones were mistaken for Ruby or Sapphire. For example in Southeast Asia there was a very large Spinel deposit that produced very fine stones, however they were mislabeled as Rubies, and stones from this mine were known specifically as Balas rubies. Balas Rubies were prized possessions of kings and emperors however only more recently have we learned that these famous "rubies" were indeed Spinel gemstones. Another case of mistaken identity is the famed "Timur Ruby" which was a treasured possession in Persian royalty. This incredible Spinel gemstone weighs over 350 carats. Another reason for the lack of due recognition to Spinel gemstones is that in modern times there have been many synthetic Spinel gems on the market, so much so that consumers are largely unaware that there is a natural Spinel gemstone. Yet, here it is, a lovely genuine gemstone with a beauty rivaling the most expensive precious gems!

Learn about Spinel Gemstone on Wikipedia

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