What is GREY spinel?

The story is remarkable in that the colored stone market has accepted a gemstone that by definition has an unsaturated color—a gray color, no less. Most gray spinel has a minor blue or violet secondary color component. It is relatively rare to find a spinel with a perfectly neutral gray color.

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 gray 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!

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.

Are spinels worth anything?

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.

Exploring the Grey Spinel Collection

Is spinel a cheap stone?

Although spinel is still less expensive than ruby, the market for spinel has been increasing. And, now that spinel has been added as a third August birthstone, its popularity may increase further still, bringing its value up as well.

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.

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.

Why is spinel 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 spinels treated?

Spinel is rarely treated or heated. There is only one known treatment for blue spinel called cobalt diffusion and we can easily detect it.

Is spinel good for everyday wear?

An 8/10 on the Mohs Hardness scale, it's a durable gem for daily wear.

Does spinel fade in sunlight?

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

Are spinel and sapphire the same?

When comparing these two gemstone gemologically there are distinct differences to consider. Sapphires are considered harder, as corundum is a 9 on the Moh's hardness scale, only diamond is harder. Spinel is ranked as a 7.5 to 8. As such, both gemstones are tough and durable gems for regular wear.

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 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.

Where does the best spinel 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.

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 the strongest gem?

The most powerful gem would be Lapis followed by Spinel. Moonlightst wrote: If you ask me, they seem to be weakening and strengthening the gems when they want for plot convenience. Either the gems are stronger than Spinel or they aren't.

Can spinel change colors?

Red spinel has often been mistaken for ruby. Some spinel exhibits asterism (a star-shaped pattern of reflections), chatoyancy (a “cat's-eye” effect seen in reflected light) or a color change when viewed alternately under incandescent and fluorescent lighting.

Are spinels synthetic?

Synthetic Spinels are the artificial counterparts of stones like aquamarine. They are quite easily created in the labs with a fusion of the constituents and minerals present in the natural gemstones like aquamarine.

What is the difference between ruby and 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 ...