Is blue spinel natural?

Unlike the other blue gemstones such as Sapphire, Tanzanite and Aquamarine, there is no known treatments for Spinel. This means that every Spinel is completely natural and free from any modifications by man. Spinel for many years has gone unnoticed as a gemstone if great durability and intense color.

Are blue spinels valuable?

Red, pink, lilac, and blue are commercially important spinel colors. 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.

How can you tell if a blue spinel is real?

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.

Where are blue spinels found?

Today, fine spinels come from a handful of sources. 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.

BLUE SPINEL: the BIGGEST MOST VALUED GEMSTONE by Yavorskyy

Is blue spinel sapphire?

Color. Firstly, When comparing these stones side by side, one may notice that the Sapphire's color is more vivid blue. Although Spinel does come in such vivid saturation, it is less common, as Spinel is typically less saturated than Sapphire. A vivid gem will command a higher price.

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 real or synthetic?

The blue synthetic spinel sapphire imitant is much more genuine looking than a synthetic blue spinels imitating synthetic sapphires. Although synthetic spinel is also produced by flame-fusion, any resemblance between man-made spinel versus Verneuil rubies and sapphires or other colored corundums ends at the torch.

Are spinels fake diamonds?

Colorless spinels are most likely synthetic. (Aside from the very rare colorless natural spinels, there are also very light, almost colorless natural specimens). These colorless synthetics make nice diamond simulants.

Is blue spinel the same as Aquamarine?

This chameleon quality means you'll love the way it looks with almost everything in your closet. Unlike aquamarine, the gem it most resembles, aqua blue spinel doesn't need to be over five or ten carats in size to have a lovely color.

What does blue spinel mean?

Blue spinel is a rich cobalt blue hue, rivaling some of the finest sapphires you'll see. It's a strongly desirable shade, infrequently seen at affordable rates in today's market. Natural blue spinel is extremely rare, commanding some of the highest prices seen among spinel stones.

Is blue spinel treated?

Cobalt diffusion-treated spinel has been introduced to the gem market for a few years and the aim of treatment was to produce the rare color intense cobalt-blue spinel by diffusion technique. Our study has demonstrated that the treated stone can be identified fairly easy by a number of techniques.

What is a synthetic blue spinel?

Synthetic spinel, was first produced accidentally during an attempt to make a satisfactory blue synthetic sapphire by the Verneuil process. Instead of the blue sapphire they discovered synthetic spinels like Synthetic Blue Spinel. These lab created blue spinel are exact copy of their Natural counterparts.

What is the rarest blue gemstone?

Blue Spinel: The Rarest Blue Gem In The World

• Of all the gemstones in the world, there is only one that occurs in a natural shade of blue. ...
• Spinels come in a variety of shades, but the blue spinel gemstones are the ones receiving a heightened amount of popularity lately.

What Colour is spinel blue?

Blue Spinel colors can range from blue to greenish-blue, steely-blue or even a purplish-blue. They can have light pastel colors all the way through to deep inky tones. Spinel is the new birthstone for August, together with Peridot.

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.

How can you tell a spinel stone?

Spinel is seen in a wide range of colors: red, lavender, violet, blue, green, brown, black. Often, spinel is found in gravel deposits where there is much corundum as well. Spinel typically contains magnesium and aluminum. The chemical formula for spinel is MgAl₂O₄.

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.

Can spinels be heated?

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.

Does synthetic spinel have any value?

Price varies from color to color; red is the costliest, followed by blue, then pink, and in the last multi-colors. Synthetic Spinels are very cheap. They are easily available in the market at a price of 1$/carat-2$per carat.

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.

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 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.