Spinel Stone Meaning, Value, Price, and Properties

Spinel is a beautiful gemstone found in various colors, most popularly shades of red, purple, and blue. The stone’s durability and vibrant hues rival precious gems like sapphire and ruby but at a lower price thanks to being less well-known.

Spinel gemstones were overlooked and underrated for centuries, largely for being mistaken as ruby and being one of the first gems synthesized.

However, this doesn’t redact from the fact that spinel gemstones are a class all their own and deserve a spotlight.

Throughout our decades in the gemstone industry, we’ve learned a thing or two about underrated gemstones. In our book, every gemstone deserves its day in the sun. That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive guide to all things spinel, from its properties and prices to its past and powers.

About Spinel Stone

Spinel is a semi-precious gemstone, though it’s historically been mistaken for the precious gemstones ruby and sapphire. Some spinels have even been used to simulate colored diamonds.

The confusion surrounding the identity of spinel has led to many monikers for the gem:

• Candite (spinel from Candy, Sri Lanka)

• Zeilanite

• Rubicelle (yellow to orange-red spinel)

• Spinellite / Spinella

• Ruby Spinel

One of the reasons spinels were long thought to be sapphires and rubies was because they were incorrectly categorized as corundum, a mineral mined alongside spinels in abundance.

Like the many sapphire colors, spinels exude various colors, from light pink, lavender, and purple pastels to rich, vibrant reds, blues, oranges, and sometimes, black. What makes spinel continue to rise in popularity is its naturally saturated coloration.

It might interest you to know that the spinel birthstone belongs to August, added in 2016 to join peridot. In astrology, the spinel gemstone is lucky for those born under Aries, Scorpio, Taurus, and Sagittarius.

Spinel Specifications and Characteristics

Spinel is an individual magnesium aluminum oxide mineral with the formula MgAl2O4, but it’s also part of the eponymous spinel subgroup, itself under the spinel supergroup. The spinel subgroup encompasses aluminum oxides that also contain ferrous iron, manganese, magnesium, cobalt, zinc, or nickel in their formula.

For clarity, we’ll refer to spinel individually as “spinel” and members of the spinel subgroup as “spinel group” minerals. Spinel is the only group member commonly used as a gemstone.

Common impurities in spinel include titanium, iron, zinc, manganese, and calcium.

Spinel forms a solid-solution series with gahnite (with intermediate members called gahnospinel). It also forms two more series with hercynite and magnesiochromite.

Habit-wise, spinel crystals are typically octahedral; rarely, they form dodecahedral or cubic shapes. The very well-formed octahedral spinel crystals are called “angel cut” in Myanmar. The mineral can also occur in massive, compact, or granular habits.

List of Spinel Properties

• Mohs hardness: 7.5-8

• Color: Varying shades of red, pink, black, purple, green, orange, gray, or brown; Rarely colorless; Never pure yellow or pure green

• Crystal structure: Isometric (cubic)

• Luster: Vitreous or sub-adamantine

• Transparency: Transparent to opaque (usually translucent to transparent)

• Refractive index: 1.712-1.747

• Density: 3.57-4.10

• Cleavage: None

• Fracture: Conchoidal

• Streak: White or grayish-white

• Luminescence: Fluorescence, phosphorescence, and X-ray colors sometimes present, varies by color:

  • Red to Pink Spinel: Red in LW-UV, SW-UV, & X-Rays

  • Blue Spinel: None

  • Purple Spinel: Red in LW-UV, lilac in X-rays

  • Light Blue & Violet Spinel: Green in LW-UV & X-rays

  • Colorless & Light Green Spinel: Sometimes orange/red in LW-UV

  • Orange Spinel: Red or orange in SW-UV & sometimes in LW-UV

• Pleochroism: None

• Birefringence: None

• Dispersion: 0.020 (moderate)

• Optical effects: Sometimes chatoyancy, 4- or 6-rayed asterism, color-change

Types of Spinel

Answering “what are the types of spinel” can go a couple different ways. You have the members of the spinel subgroup, varieties of spinel individually, and trade names for different spinel gemstones.

We’ll start with the spinel subgroup.

Pictured above: Faceted Gahnite, 1.34 ct, from Argentina | Image credit: Kay Günther / G-Empire The World of Gems / http://www.g-empire.de/

Spinel Subgroup Minerals

The spinel subgroup contains 30 members, 26 of which are IMA-approved, so we’ll just cover some notable ones:

• Chromite: Iron chromium oxide; Brown, brownish-black, or black with dark brown streak; Primary chromium ore; High RI (2.08-2.16) & density (4.50-4.80)

• Franklinite: Zinc iron oxide; Black, reddish-brown, or brown; Significant zinc ore; Significantly high RI (2.36) & density (5.07-5.22)

• Gahnite: Zinc aluminum oxide; Dark green, blue-green, blue, yellow, brown, gray, or black; Fairly high RI (1.79-1.80) & density (4.62)

• Galaxite: (AKA “Mangan-spinel”) Manganese aluminum oxide; Black, reddish-brown, red, or yellow; Fairly high RI (1.923) & density (4.30)

• Hausmannite: Di-and trivalent manganese oxide; Brownish-black, gray, bluish-gray, or brownish-gray; Studied for various potential technological uses; High RI (2.462-2.152) & density (4.83-4.85)

• Hercynite: Iron aluminum oxide; Dark green to black with grayish-green to green streak; Fairly high RI (1.80-1.83) & density (4.39)

  • Picotite: Subvariety (not IMA-approved), magnesium- and chromium-bearing hercynite; Dark green, black, or brown

• Hetaerolite: Zinc manganese oxide, very similar to hausmannite; Black or reddish-black; Tetragonal; Significantly high RI (2.14-2.34) & density (5.18)

• Jacobsite: Magnesium iron oxide; Black or gray; High density (4.76)

• Magnetite: Ferrous & ferric iron oxide; Grayish to iron black; Magnetic & significant ore for iron; Significantly high RI (2.52) & density (5.2)

Pictured above: Ceylonite (spinel variety) crystals on calcite; Antanimora Commune, Ambovombe Dictrict, Androy Region, Tuléar Province (Toliara), Madagascar | Image credit: Géry PARENT, CC-BY-SA-4.0

Spinel Varieties

Next, we have varieties of the individual stone spinel:

• Ceylonite: Ferroan (Fe2+) with little to no ferric iron (Fe3+); Very dark shades of gray, blue, or black; Note: Name sometimes erroneously applied to sinhalite

• Pleonaste: Also ferroan (Fe2+) but lower magnesium to iron ratio (1:3); Similar colors but more complex crystal forms like dodecahedron-octahedron combination

• Magnochromite: Chromium-bearing variety

• Chlorospinel: Ferric iron-rich variety; Grass-green from copper impurities

• Alkali-Spinel: Alkaline variety that’s 1.38% sodium oxide (Na2O) & 1.31% potassium oxide, reported from Sweden in 1922; Blackish-green

Spinel Trade Names

Some other nicknames used historically or in modern times for various types of spinel, many of which are misnomers, include:

• Rubicelle: Yellow to orange-red spinel

• Ruby Spinel: Translucent, gem-quality red spinel

• Alexandrite Spinel: Grayish blue in daylight and violet in incandescent light

• Jedi Spinel: Bright, electric red or neon pink spinel from Myanmar

• Balas Ruby: Historical term for rose-red spinel

• Almandine Spinel: Naturally purple spinel

Now let’s take a break from mineralogy and categories to peek into spinel’s metaphysical side and storied past.

Pictured above: Purplish-pink spinel ring with accent diamonds

Spinel Stone Meaning

Etymologically, spinel’s meaning may come from the Latin term spina, which translates to “thorn.” The theory is that Belgian physician Jean Demeste chose the name because the stone can form pointy, octahedral crystals reminiscent of thorns found on plants. However, these thorn-shaped spinel crystals aren’t common. Therefore, the name itself is more of a legend than fact.

It’s not outside of the realm of possibility, considering the stone’s ancient origins, and that early analysis of gemstones was speculative rather than scientific.

Another possible origin of the name “spinel” is from the Ancient Greek spinthḗr, meaning “spark,” after the gem’s vibrant colors.

Sadly, spinel has long been called “the great imposter” once discovered that plenty of famous rubies were actually spinels. But thankfully, spinel is finally being taken seriously as a fine jewelry gemstone thanks to its high luster, hardness, and brilliance.

What does spinel symbolize today?

Spiritually, spinel symbolizes hope, gratitude, inspiration, renewal, and passion. Some say that blue spinels are thought to be tears of the moon goddess in Vietnamese folklore. Other cultures use spinel to counteract the effects of the evil eye, like a hamsa hand.

Pictured above: Miniature painting of The Three Brothers jewel, commissioned by city of Basel around 1500, consisting of three rectangular red spinels adorned with four white pearls and a deep blue diamond in the middle | Image credit: Original painter unknown. Photograph by Peter Portner, Historisches Museum Basel, CC-BY-SA-4.0

Spinel History

We’ve talked a lot about the various misconceptions encircling the spinel gemstone. The truth is, spinels lived in the shadows of rubies for centuries. How did they finally emerge as a unique entity?

It wasn’t until 1783 when French mineralogist Jean Baptiste Louis Rome de Lisle finally discovered the identifiable differences between corundum (the parent stone of rubies and sapphires) and spinel.

With this revelation, a crescendo of events ensued in the gem world. Taking a more complex look at all of the famous red rubies, a collection of prestigious and even royal “rubies” were discovered to actually be spinels!

It turned out, spinels had been around for centuries, known across Europe as “Balas rubies” from India since at least the Middle Ages.

Pictured above: Detail of the Timur ruby from a painting of Maharaja Sher Singh, by August Schoefft, circa1841–42 | Image credit: Video presentation titled Maharaja Sher Singh Wearing the Koh-I-Noor Diamond c1841-42, released by the United Kingdom Punjab Heritage Association (U.K.P.H.A.), featuring speaker Davinder Singh Toor of the Toor Collection, Public domain

Spinels Mistaken for Rubies

A few notable examples of spinels mistaken for rubies:

• Timur Ruby, AKA Khiraj-i-alam meaning “Tribute to the World,” a 352.5-carat polished red spinel owned by several Indian and Persian nobles before being taken from Duleep Singh by the British East India Trading Company in 1849 and set into a necklace for Queen Victoria

• Black Prince’s Ruby, a 170-carat red spinel cabochon that graces the UK’s Imperial State Crown, though its origins reach back to mid-1300s when it was taken from Arab Muslim prince of the Emirate of Granada, Abū Sa'īd, by Peter of Castile (AKA Don Pedro)

• Imperial Crown of Russia, which contains a 398.72-carat red spinel below the top cross, first created for Catherine the Great in 1762 and last used by Nicholas II from 1896 to 1917

• Samarian Spinel, a 500-carat irregular-shaped red spinel (the largest spinel in the world) captured by Persian king Nadir Shah in the 1700s to be part of Iranian Crown Jewels

1800s to Today

When Friedrich Mohs published the hardness scale in 1812, poor spinel was downgraded to a 7.5-8 ranking. Because rubies rank at 9, the hardest next to diamonds, spinel was instantly categorized as an imposter jewel less worthy of adoration.

Because royal crown jewels had been exposed as spinels, the gem’s reputation suffered and became relegated to B-status. But despite spinel’s marred past, it is finally coming into its own and pulling up a seat at the esteemed gemstone table.

The flashy 80s saw a comeback in bright, colorful jewels, and spinel briefly surged into the spotlight. Today, spinel’s are no longer thought of as imposter jewels but well-regarded for their intrinsic value and beauty, and jewelry designers are reaching for them over rubies and sapphires more and more.

Spinel Healing Properties

What healing properties does spinel have? Like other red gemstones, spinel’s fiery red coloring embodies passion as well as longevity. Spinel’s spiritual meaning is the embodiment of hope, joy, and vitality.

Physical Healing

Physically, spinel properties are believed to soothe inflammation, particularly of the nerves, with its vibrational calming frequencies. Crystal healers also recommend it for boosting stamina and shortening recovery times from injuries or illnesses.

Emotional Healing

Mentally, spinel benefits the mind by instilling it with intellectual capabilities. Spinel also balances emotions, bestowing people with the power to self-soothe and heal from personal traumas. If you’re susceptible to bad influences, the spinel stone acts as a protective barrier against negative influences and energies.

Chakra Healing

Chakra healing is the process of opening blocked energy centers (chakras) to resolve negative physical or emotional symptoms by allowing energy to flow properly. Most gems only open one or two chakras, but spinel is a chakra stone for opening and balancing all seven chakras! This allows balanced energies to flow from your base chakra — the center of foundational needs and stability — up to your crown chakra — the center of spiritual ascension.

Spinel Gemstone Properties

Like many other gemstones, spinel value and grading is evaluated with the 4C’s: color, cut, clarity, and carat weight. And while these factors are important, if you plan to buy spinel gemstones, you’ll want to understand the treatments and be wary of ever-abundant synthetics.

Color

As you know, natural spinels come in almost every color except pure green and pure yellow. Given their connection to sapphires and rubies, it’s no surprise that the most popular spinel colors are ruby red and sapphire blue.

Red or blue spinel is pure (little to no undertones) with medium saturation is most valuable. In fact, any hue with few undertones and medium saturation will be much more valuable than the same color in a shade that’s too dark, too light, or too muted from muddy undertones. Naturally colorless spinel is very rare and sought-after.

More affordable spinel colors include blacks, grays, purples, and pale shades of pink, lavender, or blue.

Spinels are allochromatic, meaning they’re colorless in their purest form and gain different hues from various impurities. Colorless spinel is actually rare, and different impurities (or impurity combinations) lead to the more well-known spinel colors:

• Pink & Red: Chromium or chromium & vanadium, with traces of iron causing darker hues

• Orange: Significant vanadium and/or chromium & iron

• Grayish-Blue, Light Blue, & Mauve: Iron

• Purple: Chromium & iron

• Vibrant Greenish-Blue to Violet-Blue: Cobalt or cobalt & iron

• Black: Magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, or very high amounts of elements like iron, vanadium, and chromium

• Blue-Green Combo: Electron charge transfer

Additionally, some spinels can be naturally color-changing, shifting from violet-blue under daylight or fluorescent lighting to purple under incandescent lighting.

Potential image of cushion-cut color-changing spinel:

Pictured above: Cushion-cut faceted color-changing spinel

Cut

Most gem-quality spinel rough is faceted. Thanks to their strong durability and hardness, these spinel gemstones come in all shapes and sizes. With such a high refractive index (meaning higher brilliance) and great clarity, the most popular cuts include round brilliant, emerald, cushion, and oval.

The price-per-carat of these shapes doesn’t vary too much, but emerald-cut spinels tend to be slightly pricier because they often use more rough, they’re harder to do well, and they require a piece of spinel with high clarity.

Interestingly, spinels naturally have octahedral (eight-sided) crystals, and gem cutters will commonly cut the stones into octahedrons, which look like an eight-sided diamond shape, to best display the crystals.

For rarer colors, gem cutters may choose the faceted cut with the highest yield (retains the most carat weight without cutting off too much of the rough).

Spinels with lower clarity may be cut into carvings, beads, or cabochons. Specimens with optical phenomenon like star or cat’s eye spinel must be cut into cabochons to display the effect.

Pictured above: Bluish-purple faceted spinel with SI (Slightly Included) grade

Clarity

On the colored gemstone clarity grade scale, spinels are Type II stones, meaning minor eye-visible inclusions are common but high-quality stones will have no inclusions visible without magnification (AKA “eye-clean”).

Usually, visible inclusions will lower spinel’s value, though they’re also important for identifying natural vs synthetic spinel.

Common inclusions in natural spinel are:

• Fingerprints (rows of tiny, angular, octahedral negative crystals)

• Needles (often rutile)

• Zircon (sometimes with haloes or darkened rings around them)

• Other crystals (e.g. pyrite, apatite, hematite, sphene, olivine, calcite, amphiboles)

• Spangles (radial tension cracks)

• Silk (very fine thread-like needles of another crystal, often rutile, forming hexagonal patterns or touching at 60° or 120° angles)

• Negative crystals (can be single-phase, two-phase, or three-phase)

• Iron stains (usually at edge)

• Feathers (tiny breaks in the crystal lattice resembling a feather)

Certain inclusion patterns can create the “cat’s eye” (chatoyancy) or “star” (asterism) effects, which raise value. Usually, these inclusions are sphene or rutile needles aligned to form a single ray (cat’s eye) or multiple rays (star) of reflected light.

Spinel is also commonly found as an inclusion in other stones like almandine garnet or white sapphire.

Carat Weight & Size

Spinel rough has been found in huge sizes, and some of the most famous spinel gemstones are hundreds of carats, but it’s rare to find gem-quality spinel that can be faceted into gems over 5 carats. Over 2 carats, the quality (e.g. clarity and color) tends to worsen.

Spinel price-per-carat rates jump significantly at 1 carat, 2 carats, 5 carats, and 8 carats — that is, if all other factors are equal. For instance, the price-per-carat of a 4-carat spinel may be much higher than that of an 8-carat spinel if the 4-carat spinel has better color, cut, clarity, etc.

Pictured above: Heat-treated blue spinel

Treatments

Most spinel gemstones aren’t treated. The treatments that might be done occasionally include heat and/or fracture-filling.

Heat treatments may enhance the color (though they can worsen the color if done poorly) along with improving clarity in spinels with submicroscopic, light-scattering inclusions.

Some spinels are treated with fracture-filling (using oils or resins with similar refractive index to spinel to fill in fractures), but most spinels have good enough clarity not to need this treatment. Plus, fracture-filling isn’t a permanent treatment.

Recently, a few diffusion-treated spinels have popped up. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) reported on bright green to blue cobalt- or nickel-diffused spinels in February 2023. While diffusion treatment is permanent, the artificial color is only surface-deep, so polishing or cutting the stone can reveal its true color.

Pictured above: Silver pendant with synthetic "Aqua" spinel center stone | Image credit: Gosiko, CC-BY-SA-3.0

Synthetic Spinel

Spinels were one of the first gemstones to be produced synthetically, first as an accident in the mid-1800s via the flux method then purposefully via flame fusion for commercial sale in the 1920s. The third process for synthesizing spinel is the Czochralski method.

The benefit of synthetic spinel is that it’s more affordable, making rare colors easier to get. Colorless synthetic spinel is a popular example.

With so many synthetic spinels, various trade names have emerged:

• Strongite: Broad term for synthetic spinels

• Radient: Blue synthetic spinel

• Flame Spinel: Bright orange or red-orange synthetic spinel

• Perigem: Light yellow synthetic spinel

• Berylite or Rozircon: Rose-colored synthetic spinel

• Corundolite, Alumag, Lustergem, or Magalux: Colorless, aluminum-rich synthetic spinel

• Emerada or Erinide: Yellow-green synthetic spinel

• Dialite or Carnegiegem: Doublet of colorless synthetic spinel with a strontium titanate base

While natural spinel can imitate stones like ruby and sapphire, synthetic spinels can also be simulants for:

• Diamonds (white & black diamonds)

• Aquamarine

• Tourmaline

• Emerald (when made as doublet or triplet)

• Lapis Lazuli (when sintered, often with pieces of pyrite or real gold)

• Moonstone (when heated to produce cloudiness from alumina separating into corundum crystals)

There are a few ways to make spinel in a lab, but how does spinel form naturally?

Pictured above: Facet-grade spinel rough

Spinel Formation & Sources

Spinel typically forms due to regional or contact metamorphism, when pressure and heat alter impure limestone and the minerals inside it. The heat and pressure change the limestone to dolomite marble and the elements or minerals inside into spinel.

Spinel minerals are also found in igneous rocks like peridotite and other metamorphic rocks like skarns and granofels.

Sometimes, spinel is found in the host rock directly, but more often it breaks off, being carried away to alluvial deposits. The weathering of the spinels as they reach these alluvial deposits helps miners identify gem-quality spinels more easily.

Funnily enough, spinel is often found with corundum (ruby and sapphire). Other commonly associated minerals include:

• Calcite

• Forsterite

• Phlogopite

• Clinohumite

• Diopside

• Pargasite

• Graphite

Mining Locations

Spinels have numerous sources worldwide, but the top three locales for gem-quality spinels are Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.

Other significant sources of gem-quality spinel rough include:

• Cambodia

• Madagascar

• Tajikistan

• Tanzania

• Thailand

• Vietnam

• USA

On average, spinel gems from Myanmar are generally the priciest, followed by Sri Lanka, then Thailand.

Pictured above: Deep red Burmese spinel gemstone

Spinel Price & Value

Despite their rarity, spinels are more affordable than gems like rubies and sapphires, even spinels that resemble these precious stones. Generally, vibrant red spinel is the most expensive color if it’s also highly transparent with excellent clarity.

Clarity-wise, a spinel with a VVS (very slightly inclusions only visible under 10x-magnification) grade is generally 25% of the price of a spinel with an I1 (minor eye-visible inclusions) grade, all other factors being equal.

Heated spinels are generally about 46% of the price of unheated spinels of similar quality, color, and size.

But color and carat weight are usually the most significant factors for spinel’s price.

Faceted Spinel Prices by Color & Carat Weight

The general price-per-carat ranges to expect for faceted spinels, both overall and by color, are listed:

• Under 1 Carat: $30 to $2,500 per ct overall

  • Red: $190 to $2,500 per ct

  • Orange: $140 to $1,850 per ct

  • Blue: $30 to $400 per ct

  • Gray: $30 to $400 per ct

  • Purple: $30 to $400 per ct

• 1 to 2 Carats: $70 to $3,700 per ct overall

  • Red: $275 to $3,700 per ct

  • Orange: $200 to $2,800 per ct

  • Blue: $80 to $1,000 per ct

  • Gray: $80 to $1,000 per ct

  • Purple: $70 to $900 per ct

• 2 to 5 Carats: $130 to $8,400 per ct overall

  • Red: $650 to $8,400 per ct

  • Orange: $500 to $6,300 per ct

  • Blue: $150 to $1,800 per ct

  • Gray: $150 to $1,800 per ct

  • Purple: $130 to $1,600 per ct

• 5 to 8 Carats: $200 to $20,900 per ct overall

  • Red: $1,600 to $20,900 per ct

  • Orange: $1,200 to $15,700 per ct

  • Blue: $250 to $3,300 per ct

  • Gray: $250 to $3,300 per ct

  • Purple: $200 to $3,000 per ct

• 8+ Carats: $300 to $29,400 per ct overall

  • Red: $2,275 to $29,400 per ct

  • Orange: $1,700 to $22,000 per ct

  • Blue: $350 to $4,400 per ct

  • Gray: $350 to $3,300 per ct

  • Purple: $300 to $3,900 per ct

Cabochons & Jewelry Prices

Spinel cabochons are much more affordable, though optical effects play a role. Without any optical effects, spinel cabochons range from about $6 to $300 per carat. Star spinel cabochons range from about $100 to $900 per carat, while cat’s eye spinel cabochons go for around $50 to $400 per carat.

Our average spinel jewelry prices are:

• Spinel Earrings: $50 to $800

• Spinel Rings: $30 to $13,000

• Spinel Necklaces: $30 to $8,000

• Spinel Bracelets: $20 to $1,100

No matter what spinel you choose, you’ll want it to last a lifetime with proper gemstone care.

Spinel Care and Maintenance

Spinels are easy to take care of, thanks to having no cleavage, high scratch-resistance, and excellent wearability — they’re even a popular non-diamond alternative for engagement rings!

Most spinels can even be cleaned with ultrasonic, mechanical, or steam cleaning systems, but it’s always best to be on the safe side. That’s why we recommend the standard mild soapy water and a soft-bristled toothbrush to scrub away any built-up residue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is spinel a natural gemstone?

Yep! Spinel forms naturally, usually through metamorphism. But spinel can also be created synthetically through flux growth, flame fusion, or Czochralski methods.

How rare is spinel?

As a mineral, spinel isn’t extremely rare. But gem-quality spinels are pretty rare, and top-tier colors are quite rare — even rarer than their precious gem counterparts ruby and sapphire.

What is the rarest color of spinel?

Colorless spinel is actually one of the rarest hues, as impurities are almost always present when the stone forms. Other rare spinel shades are cobalt blue, bright red or pink, and bright orange.

How clear is spinel?

It depends on the specimen, but spinel generally has high clarity with only minor visible inclusions or no visible inclusions to the naked eye in high-quality gems.

How can you tell natural spinel from synthetic spinel?

One of the tell-tale signs of natural spinel? Inclusions. Other crystals present as inclusions is a strong indicator of natural spinel.

Free-floating gas bubbles are a sign of flame-fusion synthetic spinel, while gas bubbles and flux flakes are a sign of flux-grown synthetic spinel. Most synthetic spinels also display birefringent “snakelike” or “crosshatched” patterns under cross-polarized light and chalky white/green fluorescence.

Fingerprints are present in both natural and synthetic spinels, but the tiny dots are thicker and more clumped together in synthetic spinels.

How can you identify treated spinel?

Certain treatments are easier to detect than others. You can identify fracture-filling in spinels by looking for tiny gas bubbles trapped in the filler under a microscope. Diffusion treatment may be evident by altered inclusions but it can be done to both natural and synthetic spinels. Lastly, heat treatments might be evident if you see discoid stress fractures under solid inclusions under a microscope, but it’s best to have a professional gem lab take a look to know for sure.

What is Mogok spinel?

Mogok spinel is a type of brilliant electric red or hot pink spinel from Mogok, Myanmar that’s quite rare and strongly fluorescent. The stones are also nicknamed “Jedi spinels” for their pure color, untouched by darkness.

What is the best cut for a spinel?

For high-quality rough, the best cut is usually one that keeps the most carat weight. But a good cut for spinel also has symmetrical facets, no windowing, and no extinction, along with enough facets to show off spinel’s impressive brilliance.

Pictured above: Pink Mahenge spinel

Are You Smitten with Spinel?

There’s no disputing it: spinels are gorgeous gemstones that deserve to shine for their inherent qualities, including luster, brilliance, hardness, and versatility. Spinel is no imposter gem; it’s a striking jewel that’s catching well-deserved attention from jewelry designers and consumers alike. If you’re looking for a high-quality gemstone that’s beautifully saturated and durable, look no further than spinel.

Are you sold on spinel yet? We sure are! With a vivid color portfolio, high durability, and overall versatility, it seems there is a spinel variety for everyone.

Buy spinel gemstones today!

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