Spinel - About The Gem

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There's a reason why spinel has been chosen to adorn the crowns of emperors, kings, and queens over the centuries.

Its rich colours and amazing lustre and clarity have always been cherished, but the lesser known truth is that it was thought to be ruby or sapphire. Until 1783, when minerologist Jean-Baptiste Louis Rome De L'Isle found a slight difference in the chemical composition between spinel and corundum (the mineral of ruby and sapphire), this beautiful gem enjoyed the spotlight.

Image: A selection of spinel from the gem collection.

Suddenly many famous "rubies" and "sapphires" had to be reclassified as spinel, and in a strange twist of fate, spinel fell out of favour as it wasn't considered a "real" ruby or sapphire.

But as intense mining for corundum used up most of the best gems, the traditions started for all kinds of treatments to enhance the lower quality gems to keep up the supply for a market in love with these gems. Among the latest are lead glass filling to cover up fractures, and beryllium surface treatment, to enhance the colours of pale gems.

Spinel doesn't react well to these treatments, and to start of anyway most of the gems are of greater clarity and quality than corundum. This is why almost all spinel on the market is totally untreated, not even the standard heat of sapphires is applied for spinel to enhance the colour.

Thus lately spinel has been compared to a pheonix rising from the ashes, once again taking it's place as the king of gems, fit for royalty. It was the reason why rubies and sapphires became famous in the first place, and has a very rich history.

With popularity and demand soaring rapidly for this completely natural gem, spinel has seen a dramatic increase in prices, and is continuing to soar due to robust demand especially for the blues, reds, and even lavender colours. 

I have been collecting these over the years and have a fine collection of many shades, and even some of the most coveted hyper-rare Tanzanian cobalt blues, and Burmese reds.

 

Image: A selection of rare cobalt spinel from Lukande, Tanzania.

If you would like gem that is totally untreated, certified, and of the best quality, get in touch and we can arrange a viewing time!

Also have a browse as there are some stunning pieces on the site featuring lovely spinel gemstones.

Image: A pinkish purple spinel set in 14K gold.