Spinel is a true gem, harder than most, and it was long mistaken for ruby: the Black Prince's Ruby in the British crown is a spinel. Black spinel beads are natural and common. Cheap spinel in costume jewelry is often lab-made. We do not carry it.
Oxide
Spinel
Espinela
- Palette
- Red Pink Black Blue Purple Orange
- Mined in
- Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Tanzania, Madagascar, Canada
- Hardness
- Mohs 7.5–8.0 ?
- See-through
- transparent
- Known since
- 1546
- Named for
- Latin spinella, little thorn, for its pointed crystals
- Also sold as
- balas ruby, spinel ruby (old trade usage), rubicelle
- Intention
- New Beginnings Love
- Looking for
- Fresh starts Love Courage
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Spinel is rarely heated, and some beads are coated to add color.
Not in our pieces now
170 CARATS
The Black Prince's Ruby, a 170-carat red stone about 4.3 centimeters long in the front of Britain's Imperial State Crown, is actually a spinel.
352.54 CARATS
The Timur Ruby, an unfaceted 352.54-carat spinel, passed as a ruby for over 400 years until it was reclassified in 1851.
500 CARATS
The Samarian Spinel, at 500 carats, is the largest known spinel in the world.
What it is
Spinel is a hard, brilliant, singly refracting gem, most prized in red and pink, also found in blue, purple and black. Black spinel beads are natural and common. It was long mistaken for ruby: the Black Prince's Ruby in the British crown is a spinel. Cheap spinel-colored stones in costume jewelry are often lab-made.
What gives it its color
Spinel is naturally colorless when pure; chromium makes it red, cobalt makes it blue, and iron can add to the blue and other shades.
Where it comes from
The classic spinel sources are Mogok in Myanmar and the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, with more from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Tanzania, Afghanistan and Madagascar.
In history
The Black Prince's Ruby, given to Edward the Black Prince in 1367 after the Battle of Najera, is actually a spinel and now sits at the front of the Imperial State Crown in the Tower of London. The Timur Ruby, a spinel carrying the engraved names of Mughal emperors and Persia's Nader Shah, was presented to Queen Victoria in 1851. Red spinels passed as rubies until 1783, and the old trade name balas ruby comes from Badakhshan, long their main source.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, spinel is the stone people keep for renewal and encouragement. It's linked to the root and heart chakras, the sign Scorpio and the planet Mars.
Spinel is the modern August birthstone. People wear it as jewelry, carry it in a pocket, or keep it in the hand.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, or in the hand.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, spinel is paired with the root and heart chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, in a pocket, in the hand. People reach for it when they want fresh starts, love, courage, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraRoot, Heart
ZodiacAries, Scorpio
BirthstoneAugust
Anniversary22nd
ElementFire
Also calledbalas ruby, spinel ruby (old trade usage), rubicelle
Care
- Spinel is hard (7.5-8) and durable for everyday wear, but a hard knock on an edge can still chip it.
- Clean with warm water, mild soap and a soft brush; rinse and dry.
- Check that a cheap bright stone is not lab-made: synthetic spinel is common in inexpensive jewelry and is also sold imitating other gems.
- Store it apart from softer stones so it does not scratch them.
How to tell what you have
- Spinel is hard (Mohs about 7.5 to 8) and singly refractive, which separates it from ruby and sapphire.
- Synthetic spinel and glass are often sold as other gems, so ask whether it is natural.
What sets the price
Price follows color, with vivid red, cobalt blue and pink the most prized, how clean the stone is, and size; natural spinel costs more than the common lab-made kind.
Rules and sourcing
Some spinel beads are coated to add color. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose a coating, which scratches off.
Questions people ask at our table
What is spinel?
It is a magnesium-aluminum oxide and a true gem in its own right, harder than most gems people know. It comes in red, pink, blue, purple and black.
Is spinel the same as ruby?
No. Both are red and both contain chromium, but they are different minerals. Spinel was taken for ruby for centuries, and the Black Prince's Ruby turned out to be spinel.
Are black spinel beads real?
Yes, black spinel is a natural stone and beads of it are common. Black beads sold as spinel can still be glass or lab-made, so ask the seller.
Is cheap spinel jewelry synthetic?
Often. Lab-made spinel is made in the same way as synthetic ruby and sapphire, and it is also used to imitate aquamarine and other stones.
Do you carry spinel?
No, we do not carry it. Black onyx and garnet are the deep black and red stones in our pieces.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
Stay in the loop
Sign up to hear about new product drops, upcoming events, and the latest from Peritik. No spam, just the good stuff.