A Brief Introduction to Spinel Stones

Spinel and rubies were originally classed as the same stone. Red spinels were called Balas rubies and originated from Balascia which is the ancient name for Badakhshan, a region in Central Asia. Modern science has since differentiated between the two stones.

In the late 1500's Myanmar (previously Burma) realised the difference between the two stones but it was not until the 18th century until this theory was accepted as true by the rest of the world.

Spinels come in a variety of different colours of red, blue, green, yellow, brown and black. Orange, pink and violet are also sought after but the most rare in the spinel called cobalt blue a rich deep blue which has traces of cobalt. They vary between opaque to a dull lustre.

Spinals have found their way into the British Crown Jewels. Historically the Black Prince's Ruby (which is now known to be a spinal) was set in the battle helmet of Henry V. The Timur ruby is a 361 carat stone with the names of previous owners engraved on it.

Spinals have a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale whilst ruby has a hardness of 9. However spinals is still much harder than a lot of other gemstones in common use today.

Spinals are less common than rubies and a fine spinal is rare but because it is not so well known the price remains more competitive.

Spinals are found over Central Asia and Africa, namely Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Tanzania and Kenya.

Natural spinel is not treated but the poorer quality stones may be oiled or dyed to improve their appearance. A market has been created for a synthetic spinal may be substituted for natural birthstones in handmade jewellery. Lab created spinels closely mimic natural stones in composition and can be hard to detect. The finest of these look genuine and they have the same hardness and durability. Unfortunately some unscrupulous dealers will sell synthetic stones as natural stones so care must be taken to differentiate between the two.

Spinals are used to make rings, bracelets, pendants and earrings. They are suitable for heavy usage due to their hardness. As they are so durable the jewellery is usually safe to clean with a steam or ultrasonic cleaner. The colour may fade when exposed to high heat so care needs to be taken when soldering.

Spinels are used more in handmade jewellery using both naturally occurring stones and lab produced synthetic stones although both are sold as spinal handmade jewellery.