“Spinel a gem stone for the connoisseurs of the gem world” this stone is not very well known among the masses but is very popular among the elite of the jewelry industry and collectors due to its diamond like qualities but with a beautiful internal vivid fire of color.


Spinel is mined today in Burma, Sri Lanka and Tanzania it is a metamorphic mineral found in limestone, it is a very hard stone measuring 8 on the Mohs scale and forms a cubic crystal like diamond. To find a stone above 10 carats is unheard of the stones are usually quite small around 2 carats in Burmese spinel and a bit bigger in Tanzanian spinel.


Spinel can come in a range of colors from intense ruby red, violet, blue-green, silver, rose, bronze and orange. The most valuable being red, hot pink flame orange like all stones the most valuable are the once that the colors are most intense and vibrant. The value of the gem diminishes as the color fades into lighter hues of light pinks and greens and yellows. You can also find spinel in dark blue
also known as cobalt blue and can even be found in jet black color in the mine of Thailand and Australia.


The secret to the popularity of spinel is that spinel is in many respects the equal of ruby and sapphire. Though ruby is slightly harder (9 vs 8 for spinel), spinel contains fewer inclusions than ruby, and spinel has greater fire and brilliance. Nearly every ruby one way or the other is treated in some way were aw spinel is totally natural which make is more attractive. Spinel is also between 25 and 50 percent cheaper than the price of rubies making it more affordable as well as beautiful it is tremendous value for your money.


The supply of spinel is very limited so it doesn’t appear very often in the jewelry industry and so remains collectors’ favorite instead. If you live or are visiting close to Australia or Thailand then you must visit the spinel mines and make sure you get yourself your very own piece of genuine spinel jewelry. Maybe a large rich red solitaire ring or magnificent pendent. The value would only increase as time passes and the item would indeed be rare.