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Spinels are beautiful colored gemstones
Until the British colonialists conquered Burma spinel and ruby was considered the same since they looked very similar and came from the same source.
At that time no analytic method was available to recognize any difference. Only because of the advance in technology people found out that there are some major differences between ruby and spinel stones.
Although the value and pricing of spinel gemstones won't match ruby and other corundum gems. But from the appearance, it can match easily. It is no coincidence that until the British conquered Burma red spinels were classified as ruby.
Here are dresses and accessories matching the red ruby.
Within this findings, it was discovered that even the British crown included a piece of spinel which the jeweler in London who made it falsely defined as ruby. The pictures here show a few spinel faceted and unset gemstones with black plus pink color. Included are also intense red. The heaviest spinel ever found is the 500 carat Samarian stone today part of the Iranian Crown Jewels.
The red colored raw spinels pictured at left are from Burma (Myanmar) and very similar to rubies. Another marketplace for lower end spinel gemstones is Mae Sot in Thailand where all gems for sale are smuggled in from Burma and most are bought by Indian gem dealers the situation is similar to Chanthaburi near Pattaya where the Spinels on sale come from Cambodia.
The attraction of the gems is for sure the intense color and the rather low price. A gem shop owner fro Yangon's Bogyoke Market gave it to me to have a look.
This red gemstone is of magnesium aluminate. The intense color comes from "trace elements" of chromium and iron. Hardness is 8 on the Mohs scale which is not much difference to ruby and other corundum stones such as sapphires.
The physical structure is similar to diamonds and when the gems are created by a real expert it is difficult to see the difference to "the king of stone" at all.
Today the best sources of Spinel stones are Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma) where both red stones are found beside each other. Actually, there are another half dozen countries the gems are found.
At that time no analytic method was available to recognize any difference. Only because of the advance in technology people found out that there are some major differences between ruby and spinel stones.
Genuine Spinel Gemstones
Although the value and pricing of spinel gemstones won't match ruby and other corundum gems. But from the appearance, it can match easily. It is no coincidence that until the British conquered Burma red spinels were classified as ruby.
Here are dresses and accessories matching the red ruby.
Within this findings, it was discovered that even the British crown included a piece of spinel which the jeweler in London who made it falsely defined as ruby. The pictures here show a few spinel faceted and unset gemstones with black plus pink color. Included are also intense red. The heaviest spinel ever found is the 500 carat Samarian stone today part of the Iranian Crown Jewels.
The attraction of the gems is for sure the intense color and the rather low price. A gem shop owner fro Yangon's Bogyoke Market gave it to me to have a look.
Hardness of Spinels
This red gemstone is of magnesium aluminate. The intense color comes from "trace elements" of chromium and iron. Hardness is 8 on the Mohs scale which is not much difference to ruby and other corundum stones such as sapphires.
The physical structure is similar to diamonds and when the gems are created by a real expert it is difficult to see the difference to "the king of stone" at all.
Today the best sources of Spinel stones are Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma) where both red stones are found beside each other. Actually, there are another half dozen countries the gems are found.
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