Hardness: 8.00
Refractive Index: 1.71-1.73
Specific Gravity: 3.60
Birthstone:
Astral Stone:
Anniversary Stone:
Origination: Sri Lanka, Brazil, Madagascar, Myanmar, the former Russia, Africa, India and Australia.
Care & Cleaning: Clean with a soft polishing cloth, plain water rinse, mild solution of soap & water or commercial jewelry cleaner.
Fiction, Facts & Folklore:
Spinel when interpreted by the Greek means "spark." This no doubt accounts for its sparkle.
The spinel mineral group is found in a wide array of vivid colors, including red, teal, violet, brown and a wide array of blues.
Fine red spinels are often mistaken for rubies, while those of a rich, deep blue color can easily pass for high quality sapphires.
Astrologers link the red spinel to the sun, and attribute the blue variety to the planet Saturn.
Spinel is often found in association with corundum deposits.
Many �rubies & sapphires� set in regalia of ancient cultures were actually high quality spinel.
The deep red and blue spinels are the most costly and sought after colors of spinel, commanding upwards of $300 per carat in larger sizes of 3 carats or more.
Spinels are never treated and are generally free of inclusions.
Lab-grown spinels can now be found at retail in both solitaire form, and as two clear synthetic spinel with a colored adhesive. This material is often called �soude�. Soude emeralds, rubies, sapphires and tanzanites have all been seen at retail.
A spinel rough of nearly 200 carats was exhibited in London during the 1800�s.
A seldom seen black variety of spinel was sometimes used in mourning jewelry. This variety, along with a dark green variety originates in Sri Lanka, and is sometimes known as Ceylonite.
The crown of Queen Elizabeth bears a 350+ carat red gem that was originally believed to be a priceless ruby. This gem has since been identified instead as a high-quality red spinel.