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.

Are grey spinels valuable?

GREY SPINEL Value

The value of the stone depends muchly on color; the deeper the grey, the more valuable the stone. Spinel's from Myanmar and Tanzania are considered the best quality spinel's, and they can sell for up to $10,000 per carat for a stone heavier than 5-carat.

What is the rarest spinel color?

Blue Spinel is a very special gemstone because it is one of the few that occur naturally.

Where does grey spinel come from?

Most of the grey spinels on the market today are from Myanmar, formerly Burma. Stones from this region tend to have the most recognisably steely grey colour. Sri Lanka and Tanzania are also sources of grey spinel, however these stones tend to err more towards either the blue or purple end of the grey colour scale.

What is grey spinel?

Grey Spinels can range in color from a gunmetal grey to a steely grey to a deep charcoal grey. Many times a slight secondary purple or blue tone will add a little extra charm to the gem. Currently this is one of the most popular colors and it feels like Grey is the new Black!

Grey is a different feel, Not for all - Natural grey Spinel

How can you tell a fake spinel?

The proper way to analyze whether Spinel is real is to put it under a UV Radiation Light. Set it to long-wave and look for any stones that are particularly glowy. If the stones are glowy, that means it's synthetic and not natural.

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.

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.

Does spinel fade in sunlight?

High heat can cause some spinel colors to fade, but spinel is stable when exposed to light and chemicals.

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.

Are colorless spinels valuable?

All have colorless varieties formed without the color-making impurities. In most of these cases, the colorless varieties are the most common and therefore the least valuable. Spinel is an exception.

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.

Is spinel a rare gem?

Ironically, fine spinel is rarer than the ruby it "imitates" but is usually less expensive. And because spinel is so rare, it has hardly had a chance to become popular.

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.

Are there gray sapphires?

This beautiful unheated Montana sapphire is a gorgeous light blue-gray color, with hints of violet under incandescent light. The gem has excellent clarity, with just a tiny amount of natural rutile silk and one tiny inclusion, only visible with a 10x loupe.

What is the rarest gem on earth?

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.

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.

Is a spinel a ruby?

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 a 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.

What does 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.

Does spinel scratch easily?

Spinel is also very hard - only a few materials can scratch it. Spinel is tough - it does not break easily. Those two qualities make spinel one of the most durable gems. The most durable gems are both hard and tough.

Can you heat spinel?

The heating of spinel seems to be the most recent trend. Although a few years ago it was shown that spinel heated from approximately 950°C to 1150°C may be improved in transparency, this form of treatment has so far not been widely encountered. Even more recently, a newer heating procedure has been seen.