Collection: Spinel

The oldest spinel was discovered in a Buddhist tomb dating back to 100 BC. This tomb is located near Kabul in Afghanistan. This spinel is the oldest known. In England, blue-colored spinels from Roman times have been identified dating from 50 BC to 400 AD.

The etymological origin of spinel is the Latin word “spina” for thorn or “spinula” for small thorn due to the shape of its crystals. There is another etymology which comes from the Greek “spinther” translating as sparkling or sparkling.

Its name was attributed to it in 1783 by Jean-Baptiste Louis Romé de L'Isle (1736-1790), both a mineralogist and a French physicist considered one of the creators of modern crystallography. He was able to detect the difference with ruby ​​and sapphire and dissociated spinel from other gems. Then he became the creator of gemology.

It should be noted that despite its spelling, spinel is indeed masculine despite its ending -elle.

Spinel comes in several colors: red, blue, orange, pink, purple, green and black. It is the impurities that it contains in its crystalline structure that give it its beautiful colors. Here are some examples: chrome gives it its red color, iron for green and cobalt for blue.

It stands out from other gems because of its extremely high melting temperature of 2135°C. It is not very sensitive to heat. With a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, it is highly appreciated by jewelers for creating exceptional jewelry. For comparison, diamond has the highest hardness, 10 on this same scale.

Spinel has a reputation for being the biggest imposter in the gem world. For many years, even centuries, it was used for royal or ecclesiastical creations as genuine rubies or sapphires. Indeed, its high refractive index (identical to that of sapphire), its hardness and the intensity of its colors are at the origin of these numerous confusions.

Thus, in Antiquity, all red stones were mistaken for ruby, wrongly, because they were essentially red spinels. Here is the most famous example of this confusion: the Black Prince's Ruby set in the center of the crown of England. In reality, it is not a ruby, but a red spinel.

Furthermore, black spinel is an exceptional stone. Very close to the black diamond, also called carbonado, they are both opaque and do not diffuse any light. Visually, it is almost impossible to separate them. However, the black diamond is more porous and requires a lot of effort and attention to cut.

Thus, the black diamond will be much less known and used in jewelry. On the other hand, black spinel is an excellent alternative to black diamond. Cut into cabochons, it presents an asterism with a beautiful 6-pointed star clearly visible under a beam of light.

The main deposits of spinel are on all continents, notably in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Africa, etc.

In Lithotherapy, black spinel is a stone of protection against negative energies, jealousies, bad spells, black magic and curses. It has a shield function, returns bad influences to their sender and stops any attempt at psychic intrusions. It strengthens one's anchoring on earth, gives the strength to start again on good foundations. Black spinel helps to let go of the past and move more freely into the future.

This magnificent black stone allows its wearer to better structure their thoughts and have a certain consistency in their actions. Thus, it gives him courage, determination and a lot of willpower. In fact, the wearer of this stone manages to achieve the goals he has set for himself. He follows through on his plans and desires.

Black spinel is known to be a stone of love. Thus, it encourages openness and beneficence towards others. It provokes compassion, empathy and understanding. It generates longevity in couples, strengthens passion and fidelity. Furthermore, it promotes communication between two friends or between two spouses and can even stop a conflict situation.

Finally, black spinel is a stone of mourning. It helps to overcome the loss of a loved one, and even a painful separation.