Deep Orange Spinel // 2.4 Carats

This gorgeous spinel has a vivid, deep orange hue. It is transparent and well cut.

The origin of the word "spinel" comes the French word "spinelle", derived from the Latin word "spina", meaning “little thorn”. The red variety of these gemstones were often confused with rubies. The Black Prince Ruby within the British Royal Crown is actually a spinel. Interestingly, these red gemstones are actually rarer than rubies. Due to the tetrahedron habit of this gemstones, combined with their resistance to erosion, these stones tend to stick out like thorns from their host rock, hence their name. Like corundum and beryl, spinel comes in many colors such as black, red, blue, green, orange and purple. The red hues come from iron and chromium while blue and purple comes from cobalt and zinc.