The colors that imitate ruby and sapphire are the most popular, along with an orange-red color known as "flame spinel.". Crown of Catherine the Great: The Great Imperial Crown was made for Empress Catherine II the Great's Coronation in 1762. [1, photo], The "Timur Ruby" is a 352.5-carat bright red spinel that is currently in a necklace of The Royal Collection that was made for Queen Victoria in 1853.
That makes spinel tremendous value on a market where prices for fine gems are rising every year. Balas ruby is an old name for rose tinted variety of Spinel. The opaque, black variety, known as Pleonast, has a good luster and is used as a black gemstone. The intensity of color is partly due to the fact that spinel is singly refractive. One necklace containing eleven bright red spinels, totaling 1,132 carats and inscribed by Mughal emperors, sold for over $5 million. It was super easy to find what i wanted and i loved how i can sort through the huge selection easily. It's definitely not a "fine"stone, but I still love it! Red jedi or pinkish red spinels, are a nice and much more affordable option, even though some of the prices are getting up there. The large red stone at the crest of the crown is the second-largest known spinel, weighing 398 carats. (typesetting, British) Type having a height of 5.5 points. supply is limited and unreliable. The name Spinel has come from the Latin word “Spina” meaning thorn, due to pointed shape. The most prized rubies are found right next to their red spinel cousins.
When you compare the price of a top-quality pinkish red spinel to a top-quality untreated ruby the same size, the spinel is a bargain, even though that "bargain " may be many thousands of dollars. In 1912, the National Association of Jewelers, now the Jewelers of America, adopted and began promoting a modern list of birthstones. Spinels too have a rich history. The value of red spinel tends to decline as the color diminishes into either light-pink or brownish-red. If your spinel has a rich saturated blue color, it is rare and valuable whether or not it contains traces of cobalt. length x width x depth, I was recently working with a client who wanted to commemorate her 30th wedding anniversary with a special piece of jewelry. The most valued spinel colors are the vivid reds and cobalt blues that remind us why spinel was once confused with ruby and sapphire. Yet, spinel is typically purchased for 20-50% the price of ruby. Spinel belongs to the cubic crystal system and its characteristic crystal shape is an octahedron, which looks like two back-to-back pyramids. The finest red spinel colors are pure red to slightly purplish red hues of medium to medium-dark tone. Spinel is composed of magnesium aluminum. For red spinel, the finest colors tend to be similar to ruby, (i.e. Ruby is a see also of spinel. Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; (mineralogy) Any of several hard minerals of cubic symmetry that are mixed oxides of magnesium and aluminium and are used as gemstones of various colours. All rights reserved.
One might even say that spinel is for gemstone connoisseurs only. Red, of course red means ruby…or does it? Although the most commercially important colors are red and pink, mauve- or lilac-colored gems are also attractive, and some blue spinel colors can be very valuable. Poorly cut gems are much less marketable and sell at a discount. The rubellites looked as good as, if not better than the rubies, at a fraction of the price. Natural spinel, however, has always been a rare and beautiful gem. Optical properties can also be used to distinguish spinel from corundum. When properly proportioned it has excellent brilliance.
Spinel comes in a variety of colors, but the most commercially important are red and pink.
The only significant use is as a gemstone. Spinel has not been strongly promoted by the gem and jewelry trade because its
It is easy to see how spinel can be confused with ruby and sapphire or used as an alternative stone. This is why spinel and rubyare often found together.
The most valuable spinel is red or red-orange. See Wiktionary Terms of Use for details. You'll never know till you try contacting a few people. If you are willing to consider a red spinel, then view the video of this one.
The most valued colors are vivid reds and blues. It Is so difficult to find a highly transparent, fire engine red ruby, and spinel fills the gap. I checked reviews throughout the internet and was thoroughly impressed with the positive experiences of others. However, for US jeweller Erica Courtney, who has a wide selection of spinel jewellery, the shade of spinel that is proving most popular is not one that mimics a ruby, but one that differentiates it. The diagnostic differences are summarized in the chart on this page.
Some gems have beautiful inclusions that reflect the gem’s octahedral crystal growth. Spinel is durable enough for rings and mountings subject to daily wear. 1-800-464-1640 It was part of a group of spinels from the Lahore Treasure presented to Queen Victoria by the East India Company in 1849. While a ruby might go for $40,000 a carat, a spinel of the same size and quality would garner only $1,000 to $7,000 a carat, Mr. Borruso said — … These spinels are about 4 1/2 millimeters in size and weigh a little less than 1/2 carat each. Other countries where spinel refractory bricks and ceramics. Comprehensive CAD/CAM For Jewelry Certificate, Spinel: The Complete Guide on Caring for your Spinel. (Rings,Earrings,Jewelry), Help me pick a coloured stone for my sister, August vintage cushion with Single Stone Rose Cut Gabby. The best-known singly refractive gems are diamond, spinel and garnet.