Spinel is a mineral composed of magnesium-aluminum oxide. Because it contains elements such as magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, 等, they can be divided into many types, such as aluminum spinel, iron spinel, zinc spinel, manganese spinel Spar, chrome spinel, 等. Because they contain different elements, different spinels can have different colors. 例えば, magnesium spinel is between red, 青, 緑, brown or colorless; zinc spinel is dark green; iron spinel is Black and so on. Spinel is a hard glass-like octahedron or particles and blocks. They appear in igneous rocks, granite pegmatites and metamorphic limestones. Some transparent and beautiful spinels can be used as gemstones, and some can be used as iron-containing magnetic materials.
Spinel is one of the long-established colored gemstones used by people, and was mistaken for ruby in ancient times. The most legendary spinel in the world is the 170-carat spinel inlaid on the crown of the British king. It is called the “Black Prince Ruby” and was not identified as a spinel until modern times. Therefore, in jewelry customization, people sometimes use spinel instead of ruby, the effect is the same, the price is more affordable.
The quality of spinel is mainly evaluated in terms of color, transparency, clarity and cut, among which color is the most important factor. Dark red is the best color, followed by purple, orange, light red, and blue. The color should be pure and bright. The higher the transparency, the better, the fewer defects, the better, and the higher its quality and price.