Are red spinel rare?

Some spinel colors are more rare and valuable than others. In general, red spinel is the most desirable, followed by fine cobalt-blue spinel, then by vibrant hot pink and vivid orange stones. Violet and bluish purple to purple, or lavender, stones tend to be less attractive, and less in demand than other, rarer colors.

What color spinel is the rarest?

Cobalt Blue Spinel from Luc Yen mine in Vietnam is the rarest and most desirable fine stone, and the biggest hype in the modern gem industry.

What is the rarest type of spinel?

Blue Spinel is a very special gemstone because it is one of the few that occur naturally. While all Spinels are increasing in popularity, it is the blue variety that is starting to attract attention of savvy gemstone buyers.

Is spinel rarer than ruby?

You may be surprised to know that spinel is rarer than ruby, but this has not affected its price (yet). Although spinel is still less expensive than ruby, the market for spinel has been increasing.

How can you tell a red spinel?

The finest red spinel colors are pure red to slightly purplish red hues of medium to medium-dark tone. Spinel is most often cut in cushion and oval shapes; when properly proportioned it has excellent brilliance. Like ruby, the color of red spinel is due to traces of chromium.

Color change Spinel and Red Spinel. Extremely Rare and impossible to find.

How much is spinel worth?

Top Spinels in the 2 to 5 carat size will often sell for $3,000 to $5,000 a carat. For the very rare stones over 5 carats, prices in the range of $8,000 to $10,000 per carat are not unusual for the top colors.

Why is spinel so expensive?

Interestingly, red spinel is much rarer than rubies, but due to its extreme rarity there is little demand for it and therefore it is not as valuable. As with any gemstone, spinel with even saturation and intense hue are the most valuable.

Is spinel a precious stone?

Every other gemstone that isn't one of those four is considered to be semi precious. The list goes on and on, but some of the more common ones are: alexandrite, agate, amethyst, aquamarine, garnet, lapis lazuli, moonstone, opal, pearl, peridot, rose quartz, spinel, tanzanite, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.

Are spinels good investment?

Red Burmese spinels and the neon pink-red spinels from Mahenge, Tanzania have the best investment potential. Spinel is completely untreated and prices on fine pieces have risen significantly in the last 5 years.

What is a red spinel stone?

Red Spinel,also known as 'Spinel ruby gemstone', is the deep red color variety of Spinel that is considered most valuable. It is quite rare and is worn as a substitute for Ruby in astrology and jewelry. It also holds deep metaphysical meaning and is worn to gain stability and balance in life.

Where do red spinels come from?

The best red, pink and orange spinels originate from the rich gem gravels of Burma's Mogok Stone Tract. The best blue and violet spinels are found in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Gem spinel is also found in Vietnam, the Pamir mountains of Tajikistan, Tanzania and Madagascar.

What is the rarest gemstone?

Painite : Not just the rarest gemstone, but also the rarest mineral on earth, Painite holds the Guinness World Record for it. After its discovery in the year 1951, there existed only 2 specimens of Painite for the next many decades. By the year 2004, there were less than 2 dozens known gemstones.

Where are red spinel found?

This places spinel in alluvial deposits, where it is concentrated because of its high specific gravity. These alluvial deposits have been worked by gem miners for over 1000 years. Most spinels of a "ruby-red color" are produced from alluvial deposits in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

Is spinel semi precious stone?

Spinel, traditionally considered as 'semi-precious', is a fine gem that is rapidly growing in popularity. Spinel has a bright vitreous lustre and can be found in a wide array of colours including red, blue, violet, and pink.

How many colors of spinel are there?

Spinel is one of just a few gemstones that occurs in every color of the spectrum. Spinel can be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet or purple. White, brown, black, gray, and colorless spinels also exist.

How can you tell if a ruby is a red spinel?

A ruby is dichroic (meaning it shows different colours when viewed from different directions) whereas a spinel is singly refractive (it has only one refractive index - much like diamond and garnets), this property means that spinels general have vivid fire and colour, making it a wonderful stone to work with on ...

Are spinels fake diamonds?

Colorless spinels are most likely synthetic. (Aside from the very rare colorless natural spinels, there are also very light, almost colorless natural specimens). These colorless synthetics make nice diamond simulants.

Is ruby a spinel?

Spinel may be distinguished from ruby by its lesser hardness and lighter weight. Pure spinel is colourless; the gem varieties owe their hues to the presence of small proportions of metal ions other than magnesium and aluminum.

Is spinel good for jewelry?

An ancient mineral, spinel flaunts vivid, saturated hues in a cubic crystal formation. The natural stone is often transparent and usually needs no treatment. Its ranking of 8 on the Mohs hardness scale makes it ideal for every type of jewelry.

What does a spinel symbolize?

The Meaning of the Spinel Gem

The stone is believed to help people put their egos aside and become devoted to one another. The red colour of the stone is also associated with longevity, passion, and devotion – a common characteristic of most red gemstones.

Is spinel a tourmaline?

Can be confused with: pink and red Spinels can be confused with several gemstones of similar colour e.g. Ruby, Garnet and pink or red Tourmaline (Rubellite). Blue Spinel can be confused with blue Tourmaline (Indigolite). Distinction of singly refractive Spinel and doubly refractive Ruby or Tourmaline is simple.

What is normal spinel?

Normal spinel structures are usually cubic close-packed oxides with eight tetrahedral and four octahedral sites per formula unit. The tetrahedral spaces are smaller than the octahedral spaces. B ions occupy half the octahedral holes, while A ions occupy one-eighth of the tetrahedral holes.

How do you wash spinel?

To clean spinel jewelry at home, let the piece soak in a solution of warm water and a gentle dish detergent, scrubbing with a soft brush to remove dirt and dust. As with all fine jewelry, spinel should be removed before sleeping.

Is grey spinel rare?

It is relatively rare to find a spinel with a perfectly neutral gray color. These stones have the most value, which increases as the depth of the gray increases. Most of the specimens on display in Tucson were under a carat.