Black Spinel Choker by La Terre Jewelry
In light of our new Black Spinel Choker, our gemstone spotlight of the month is spinel! Not many people know much about the spinel gemstone, or have even heard of it at all. One of the rarer gemstones, spinel is quite a hard stone, 8 on the MOHs hardness scale. To put it in perspective, a diamond is a 10 on the MOHs hardness scale and the hardest natural substance on earth. Spinel comes in an array of beautiful colors: red, orange, pink, purple, blue, and black. Until recently, most spinels came from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Burma. Now deposits have been found in Tanzania, Kenya, and Madagascar.
There is actually quite an interesting history to the spinel gemstone. Up until 1783, spinels were misidentified as rubies; due to the red spinel’s close resemblance to the ruby. To further the confusion, rubies and spinels are found in the same rock units and form under the same geological conditions. Therefore, they are found in the same mines. So for thousands of years spinels were passed from conqueror’s hand to conqueror’s hand as war spoils, believed to have been rubies. In fact, a number of “rubies” in priceless jewel collections are spinels. The most notable example is Britain’s Black Prince’s Ruby. The Black Prince’s Ruby passed though a succession of Moorish and Spanish kings before it landed in the hands of Edward, Prince of Wales. If only gemstones could talk, think of the stories! The idea of the spinel being an imposter has tainted the gemstone’s name. When in reality the spinel is rarer than the ruby. There seems to be a newfound respect for the spinel gemstone emerging. I hope so, what a beautiful, interesting stone to be pushed aside!
La Terre Living 