Spinel - Gem with a Pedigree
Over the last few years, we have seen a huge interest in colored stones. Right in the middle of the explosion is a gemstone that is arguably one of the most beautiful in the world. Yep, you guessed it: Spinel!
Not Twins but Look-alikes Just the Same
Spinel has the color, brilliance as well as life long durability to fit anyone's definition of a gemstone. If you like sapphire or ruby, then you will like spinel. Why? Well, spinel has almost the same brilliance and color as the well known corundum mineral family - corundum is the mineral parlance for rubies and sapphires.
Yes, I've heard die-hard Ruby lovers say that they do not like red spinel but only ruby - but they also cannot separate the two from each other by merely looking at them. That tells me that they are steadfast only because they know what a ruby is and haven't heard of spinel.
If you cannot separate spinel from ruby, don't feel bad as history teaches us that it is common to misidentify spinel. The Imperial State crown made for Queen Victoria's coronation has part of the Cullinan Diamond (the Sceptre has another part). This crown also contains the Black Prince Ruby. This famous and large "ruby" is not a ruby but a spinel! The Timur Ruby in the Crown Jewels of England was also found to be a spinel.
Spinel has a pedigree. Therefore, it is hard to believe that they were once called Balas Rubies - since spinel never needed to take second place to ruby.
Red is Hot
I like red spinels because they are usually pure red and do not possess a slight secondary color of brown or purple as most rubies have. Add pure red to brilliance and you have a combination that shouts "look at me!"
Gems are sold by weight. The more a gem weighs, the more it will cost. With rubies, the increases in price compared to its weight are critical. Therefore, a lot of rubies are not cut to show off their true potential beauty because of the loss in weight involved in achieving that goal. Spinel, on the other hand, does not have such a drawback. It is not cheap - but priced so that losing weight for beauty breaks the cutter even - a win-win situation for the cutter and ultimate consumer. Thus most spinels look stunning!
However, do not think that the only spinels that are worth acquiring are red. The truth is spinels in all the colors will captivate you.
Hard as Nails
Actually, a spinel is harder than a nail. It resists scratches over the long haul and that translates to a gem that easily qualifies for an engagement ring stone. By the way, why not sport a spinel engagement ring? After all, the odds of someone else having the same gemstone, not even taking into account the shape and color variables, are a lot less than seeing a diamond in someone else's ring that matches yours or your fiancée's.
Cleaning a spinel really does not have any special rules, it can take a steaming as well as a bath in an ultrasonic - leaving it bright and beautiful as it was the day you acquired it.
Lastly
Do not be afraid to mix colors. Life is a festival and spinels are the flowers for your parade.
