Copyright © Certified Diamonds Network. All Rights Reserved
Spinel was only recognized as an individual mineral 150 years ago
Spinel is a very tough and hard-wearing gem, so if you are matching it with a suitable hard and long wearing gold like platinum, yellow gold or rose gold to create your jewellery design, then it is up to the task of everyday wear. The gem itself is completely suitable for an engagement ring, anniversary ring or dress jewellery. However, you may wish to have your spinel professionally cleaned now and then, to ensure that it remains in excellent condition, and show’s off it’s beautiful gem qualities. This is no different to all quality jewellery.
Spinels are found around the world, although different regions can be known for specific colours, such as Sri Lanka, which is known for blue spinels. You can find the most significant deposits of spinel in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nepal, Madagascar, Nigeria, Canada, Tanzania, Tajikistan, and Australia.
Spinel can be extremely valuable, and the value depends on the size and quality and colour of the gem, as well as the depth of colour. This is the general rule for all coloured gemstones. Softer tones and synthetic spinel are often cheaper and prove excellent value for money, and with the spinel hardness, they are excellent for use in jewellery. Quality natural spinel is often confused with the synthetic or man made spinel that are commonly seen in production jewellery or costume jewellery.
There is no month for spinel to be a birthstone; however, you could replace ruby which is the birthstone of July with red spinel birthstone jewellery, and it would be hard for the untrained eye to tell the difference. You could also choose a blue spinel to replace sapphire, which is the birthstone for September.
Apart from use in amazing and unique designer jewellery, there are industrial uses for spinel, and one of the reasons for this is because of its hardness. It is possible to create transparent synthetic spinel which looks like glass but is found to be much stronger, giving it both commercial and military uses. Of course spinel are also produced or manufactured in different colour’s to emulate the real thing for cheaper end costume and dress jewellery.
When looking for a particular colour of spinel, there is a lot of choices available, including red spinel, blue spinel, rose, pink, green, yellow, and just about any other colour you can imagine. Synthetic spinel can come in almost any colour as well, including transparent, but it is not possible to create synthetic purple spinel, although this colour occurs naturally. The rarest colour is violet, which can also be the most expensive spinels to buy, especially if it is a large gem of excellent quality crystal.
A spinel gem is said to be a stone of hope and is said to have properties that can revitalise a person that wears one. The mineralogy origin of the name is uncertain, perhaps Greek “Spark” or Latin “Thorn”. It is also said to bring fresh energy to your heart, spirit, body, as well as your mind. The black spinel meaning is said to clear out problems and return to an original state, and they are said to have healing powers. That’s a powerful gem indeed however it’s beauty is the real attraction.