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Spinel

Spinel is a magnesium aluminium oxide that forms in the same marble deposits as ruby and is found in red, pink, orange, lavender, grey and a rare cobalt blue. It is hard, bright, singly refractive and almost never treated, which is why the trade has come to value it as a natural stone in its own right rather than a substitute for ruby. Byrex Gems offers loose spinel to the jewellery trade from Toronto, filmed unedited, with prices for approved buyers and viewings by appointment.

Where to buy spinel in Toronto

Byrex Gems lists 7 spinel online today. 6 of them come with a report from laboratories including GRS, GIA and Gübelin. Origins include Burma (Myanmar) and Tanzania. Viewings are at our Toronto office, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, steps from Queen subway station, by appointment. We have supplied coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds to jewellers and designers since 1988, and welcome private clients by appointment. Prices are shown to approved trade accounts; private clients can ask us on WhatsApp, where we reply within 12 hours, or by email within 24 hours. Every stone ships insured, worldwide.

Among the spinel listed today: 3.01 ct Emerald Cut Spinel, GIA, Heated, 2.14 ct Cushion Spinel, Gübelin, Burma Unheated, 2.06 ct Heart Spinel, GRS, Tanzania Unheated, 1.66 ct Round Spinel, GRS, Burma Unheated, 1.53 ct Emerald Cut Spinel, GIA, Burma Unheated, 0.98 ct Octagonal Spinel, GRS, Burma Unheated, 0.86 ct Fancy Spinel.

What is spinel and where does it come from?

Spinel is a magnesium aluminium oxide, MgAl2O4, crystallising in the cubic system. Because it is cubic it is singly refractive, with no pleochroism, which gives it a clean, crisp brilliance. Hardness is 8 on the Mohs scale and there is no cleavage, so it wears well in any kind of jewellery. Chromium produces red and pink, iron gives blue, violet and grey, and traces of cobalt produce the saturated blue that is the rarest colour in the species.

Mogok in Myanmar is the historic source of fine red spinel, found alongside ruby in the marble, and the Namya district nearby produces small, intensely bright pink stones. Mahenge in Tanzania, discovered in 2007, yields the neon pinkish red that brought spinel to a wider audience, and Tanzania also produces purples and reds from Tunduru and Morogoro. Vietnam's Luc Yen district is the main source of cobalt blue, with Sri Lanka contributing cobalt stones occasionally as well as its lavender, grey and violet spinels. Tajikistan's Kuh-i-Lal mine supplied the great historic pink and red stones.

Spinel also occurs in grey, from pale silver to charcoal, and in soft peach and lilac. These once-overlooked colours have found a market with designers who want a natural stone with diamond-like brightness in a muted palette.

How laboratories describe spinel

A report identifies the stone as natural spinel and comments on treatment. Spinel is one of the few major gems for which no treatment is routine; most stones are sold as mined, and reports from GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, Lotus and AGL typically state that no indications of treatment were found. Heating of some spinel, particularly to improve certain pinks and blues, has been reported in the market in recent years, and laboratories now check for it by its effect on inclusions and spectra. Where heating is found it is disclosed in the laboratory's own wording.

Origin opinions are offered by several laboratories for spinel, based on inclusions and trace-element chemistry, and are usually given as the country: Myanmar, Tanzania, Vietnam, Sri Lanka or Tajikistan. Reports sometimes record origin as inconclusive. Mine names such as Mogok or Mahenge appear, if at all, as a comment rather than a determination.

The trade terms buyers hear describe colour. "Jedi" is a dealer's name for the vivid, glowing hot pink to red spinel from the Man Sin area near Mogok; "cobalt spinel" is used for blue stones in which cobalt is the main colouring agent, and some laboratories will confirm the cobalt colouration on the report.

What to check before buying a spinel

Look at the colour viewed from the top in daylight-equivalent light and under a warm lamp. Fine red and pink spinel is helped by red fluorescence, which makes the stone glow in sunlight; iron-rich stones lack it and can go flat or slightly brownish indoors. Check for colour zoning and for the grey or brown modifiers that pull a red toward brick or a pink toward mauve.

Spinel is generally clean, so eye-visible inclusions count against a stone more than they would in ruby. Because spinel is singly refractive, cut quality shows immediately: a well-proportioned cushion or oval returns light across the whole face, while a deep stone cut to save weight looks dark in the centre.

Sizes above a few carats in fine red, hot pink or cobalt blue are rare; greys, lavenders and softer pinks are available larger. Spinel suits calibrated work, pairs and layouts because its colour runs consistently within a parcel and it needs no treatment to match. Byrex describes two stones as a pair only when the parcel paper or report says so, otherwise as a close match. For setting, spinel tolerates ordinary bench work and ultrasonic cleaning, though a sudden torch flame on an included stone should be avoided.

What drives the value of a spinel

Colour drives value above everything else. Pure red with strong saturation sits at the top, followed closely by the neon pinkish red of Mahenge and the hot pink of Mogok and Namya, then cobalt blue, which is rarer still but judged on a smaller market. Within each colour, saturation and the presence of red fluorescence separate a stone that glows from one that merely has the right hue.

Origin matters in a graded way. A Burmese origin opinion adds a premium to red spinel, and a Tanzanian opinion is sought for the neon pink-reds, because the market associates each look with its source. For cobalt blue, a Vietnamese opinion is the expected one. Origin carries less weight for pastel and grey stones, where colour and cut decide.

Clarity counts more than in ruby, because the material is usually clean. Size multiplies value quickly in red, hot pink and cobalt blue. The absence of treatment is assumed, so a report stating no indications of treatment is the baseline rather than a premium; a report noting heating places a stone in a lower tier.

The Black Prince's Ruby and spinel's revival

For most of recorded history, red spinel was not distinguished from ruby. The great "balas rubies" of medieval and Renaissance treasuries, named after the Badakhshan region whose Kuh-i-Lal mine produced them, were spinels. The Black Prince's Ruby, set at the front of the Imperial State Crown of the United Kingdom, is a large red spinel with a documented history reaching back to fourteenth-century Spain. The distinction between the two minerals was only established in the eighteenth century as chemistry and crystallography matured.

Once separated from ruby, spinel spent two centuries in its shadow. Cheap flame-fusion synthetics further damaged the name, and fine natural spinel was traded quietly to collectors.

The revival began with the Mahenge discovery in 2007, which produced vivid pinkish red crystals in sizes the market had never seen, and continued with cobalt blue from Vietnam and renewed interest in Burmese reds. Spinel was added to the list of August birthstones in 2016. Designers now use it on its own merits, and fine red, pink and cobalt stones have become among the most sought after coloured gems in the trade.

Buying spinel from Byrex Gems

Byrex Gems has been in Toronto since 1988, and more than seven thousand trade customers in Canada and abroad have bought from us. Many of our spinels come with reports from GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, GIA and other leading laboratories; all of them are filmed in our office, unedited and unfiltered.

Approved trade buyers see prices online. Others may write at any hour: WhatsApp +1 (437) 450-3786 is answered within hours and email to info@byrex.com the same day, seven days a week. What is listed is a part of what we hold: more spinels are kept in the vault, and what we do not hold ourselves we can source through our offices worldwide. Private viewings are arranged by appointment in Toronto, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai.

Spinel: questions buyers ask

Where can I buy spinel in Toronto?

Is spinel a natural gemstone or a synthetic?

Both exist. Natural spinel is a magnesium aluminium oxide mined in Myanmar, Tanzania, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Synthetic spinel has been grown by flame fusion since the early twentieth century and is common in older costume and birthstone jewellery. A laboratory report separates the two.

Is spinel usually heated or treated?

No. Most spinel is sold as mined, and reports usually state that no indications of treatment were found. Some heating of pink and blue spinel has been reported in recent years, so laboratories check for it and disclose it in their own wording when found.

What is the difference between red spinel and ruby?

Ruby is corundum, aluminium oxide; spinel is magnesium aluminium oxide. Spinel is singly refractive with no pleochroism, slightly softer at Mohs 8, and almost never treated. The two were confused for centuries, and famous historic "rubies" such as the Black Prince's Ruby are spinels.

What is cobalt spinel and where is it from?

Cobalt spinel is a blue spinel whose colour comes mainly from traces of cobalt, giving a saturated, vivid blue unlike the greyish blue of iron-coloured stones. Most comes from Luc Yen in Vietnam, with some from Sri Lanka. Some laboratories confirm the cobalt colouration on the report.

Which reports does Byrex supply with spinel?

Depending on the stone, GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, Lotus or AGL. Reports confirm natural spinel, comment on treatment and, where requested, give an origin opinion as a country. The report number and wording appear on each stone page.

Does Byrex source Mahenge or Burmese spinel on request?

Yes. Not all of the collection is online, and Byrex sources specific spinels, including Mahenge pink-reds, Burmese reds and cobalt blues, through its offices and partners. Give the colour, size, shape and any origin requirement and Byrex will present options with reports.

Is spinel durable enough for an engagement ring?

Yes. Spinel is 8 on the Mohs scale, has no cleavage and is usually free of open fissures, so it tolerates daily wear, ordinary bench work and ultrasonic cleaning. It is one of the most practical coloured stones for a ring worn every day.

Can I see spinels in person in Toronto?

Yes, by appointment at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Each spinel is filmed unedited so the video matches the stone on the tray, and the laboratory report is available to examine alongside it.

Byrex Gems, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds for the trade since 1988, and for private clients by appointment.

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