Is 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 is the rarest spinel color?

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.

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.

How rare is a spinel?

Spinels are 100 times rarer than Rubies and Sapphires, yet less expensive (because most of the world still doesn't know about these rare beauties!). The minerals that comprise Spinel are very similar to Rubies and Sapphires (Corundum), in fact, Spinels are always found in the mines with Rubies and Sapphires.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Are spinels fake diamonds?

Spinel. Spinel is a natural mineral that occurs in colors such as red, green, brown, blue, black, and white. White spinels are colorless, and this is why they are sometimes used as fake diamonds. This mineral is moderately hard at 7.5-8.0 on the Mohs scale.

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.

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 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.

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 ...

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.

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.

Is 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 red tourmaline valuable?

Its color can vary from red to violet to pale and dramatic pink. Its name comes from the Latin word “rubellus” which means reddish. It is the most prized and expensive member of the tourmaline family because of its beauty and rarity.

What does a spinel symbolize?

Spinel gems are said to help set aside egos and become devoted to another person. Like most fiery red stones, spinel is believed to encourage great passion, devotion and longevity. Spinel is associated with the root Chakra, making it effective in increasing physical energy and stamina.

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.

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.