Spinel lovers...

[Indylady]

What draws you to spinels?

I''ve never seen one in person, and I''m apprehensive buying a type of gem I haven''t seen before. I could get something on the cheap side just to check it out, but I don''t want a poor stone to taint my impression of spinels.

So...what do you love about spinels? Is it one of your favorites? Why? What''s your favorite color of spinel? Is there any stone that is comparable? Lastly, are there any negative qualities of a spinel?

Please share your opinions, and thanks in advance!

 

[Liane]

I love them chiefly because they happen to come in three of my favorite colors:

(1) Soft lavender-blue;
(2) Intense cobalt blue;
(3) Deep pigeon's-blood red.

The second and third are pretty expensive and I'm probably never going to own an actual cobalt spinel because they cost so much (and also I always want to turn my most favorite stones into rings and I've used up all my ring fingers, so no more rings for me!), but I still adore looking at them and get excited when other people have them.

The main negative qualities are that spinels often show a lot of gray and tend to be darker in person than they appear in photos, so there's a little bit of risk in buying them online (but as long as the seller has a good return policy it's not a big deal). But they're durable, they have nice brilliance and I sometimes see a little dispersion in mine, they have a lovely range of colors, and other than the intense reds and blues, they're quite affordable since they're not a Big Name Stone like ruby or emerald.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

They come in a wide range of colors and can sparkle like crazy when well cut. And they're pretty nice on the wallet too generally speaking (exceptions being cobalt blues and pure reds and mahenge pinks). They also tend to be readily available and come in a variety of interesting cuts.

When a friend of mine first saw my spinel pendant for the first time, she said she'd never seen a color gem sparkle like that.

Negatives: mall's sell synthetic spinels these days, so be careful you aren't buying a synthetic as a natural one. Many tend to have a grey cast as Liane mentioned, it can give the stone a kind of "steely" quality. Also, the blue ones seem to almost always color shift to more purple in incandescent lighting, which for me is a negative as I don't really like the color purple, lol.

 

[Stone Hunter]

I have one Spinel and would like to get more. I am attracted to the HARDNESS that means they can be worn often as a ring.

I really like the sparkle of the one I have and have read that SPARKLE is one of spinel's characteristics.

I like BLUE and PURPLE colors.

HTH

ETA: The Spinel I have was cut by Dan Stair so it's very well cut.

 

[loriken214]

Here is my new Barry spinel. Just look at that blue! This is one of the reasons why I love spinels....

Lori

 

[Arcadian]

Lori that is lovely!

I''m not much into spinels as I am into particular ones. I love the loud colors, the louder the better! (of course that means more money too!)

I kind of see a trend where I''m going into the more vivid colors which is never good on the pocketbook but, good from a collection standpoint. (plus they look good on me

)

-A

 

[Indylady]

Thanks for the great replies everybody! To be honest, what really got me thinking of spinels was TL''s lilac spinel in her rose gold setting. Every time I see a shot of it, I keep going back to it! Are lilac spinels hard to find?

Lori, what a pretty spinel!

MTG- I like your story! Had she heard of a spinel before?

 

[loriken214]

Date: 12/3/2009 10:00:35 PM
Author: szh07
Thanks for the great replies everybody! To be honest, what really got me thinking of spinels was TL''s lilac spinel in her rose gold setting. Every time I see a shot of it, I keep going back to it! Are lilac spinels hard to find?

Lori, what a pretty spinel!

MTG- I like your story! Had she heard of a spinel before?

You should be able to locate a lilac spinel through Barry or Dan.

Here is the awesome spinel I won from the Puppy Mill Silent Auction that Gene held.

Lori

 

[Indylady]

Oh...my!!!! You won that baby?! Tell me it has its own thread?

 

[loriken214]

I haven''t done anything with it yet, but will start a thread just as soon as I do.

Have you seen Frekechild''s spinel collection?

Lori

 

[LGK]

I just got a spinel as my very first (intentional) colored stone purchase. there was one I saw at work a few months ago that piqued my interest. I''m sure it was a mediocre cut but even so, it was eye catchingly sparkly for a colored stone, especially compared to the not-so-fab sapphires I see a lot of. There was something really attractive about its sparkle- magpie me was immediately interested. Heck, maybe it was a good cut, I dunno. It didn''t last long before it sold, that''s for sure! it did make me want to have one to play with.

I like the grey tones they have. I''m no big fan of pure bright hues, at least for me to wear. I like how the blues are sometimes mixed with grey and purple. That''s how I like blue.

Also I liked that they''re fairly reasonably priced. that''s always cool. You can get a nice size one and not like break the monthly budget or anything.

i did like that it was relatively hard, too. I''m hard on stuff.

I haven''t gotten my new spinel yet, so this probably isn''t as useful as some of the experienced colored stone collectors here, but that''s why I ended up dipping my toe into the colored-stone-sparkly pool

 

[FrekeChild]

To me, spinel is where it''s at. I have 7 spinel rings, a spinel necklace and plenty of other spinels waiting for new homes. Including one that came in the mail today.

I love the color of spinels, I love the soft quality the gray undertones lend to them, I love the sparkle that it seems that not many stones can compare with, I love that they are one of the harder stones, and I love the colors they often come in.

It is my favorite. Because of all of the reasons above.

My favorite color of spinel is blue. Or gray. Then the pinks/purples, etc.

To me, nothing really compares. It''s spinel, then tourmaline and then topaz. But they all are very different stones and have different qualities that make me love them.

Negative qualities...I''m afraid that can be very subjective. TL, for instance, isn''t the biggest fan of spinel due to the common secondary tones of gray or brown in some colors, while people like me love spinels FOR those undertones.

Here is a stack of spinels. It''s a pic I took several days ago of my spinel "erings" all lined up together, but it''s not particularly flattering of any of them due to it being taken with a cell phone at night.
Top to bottom:
Gray, peach, light pink, silky lavender, medium blue, Big Blue (medium-dark), dark blue

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 12/3/2009 10:00:35 PM
Author: szh07
Thanks for the great replies everybody! To be honest, what really got me thinking of spinels was TL''s lilac spinel in her rose gold setting. Every time I see a shot of it, I keep going back to it! Are lilac spinels hard to find?

Yes they are. I searched for a periwinkle/lavender/lilac spinel for about 3 months before finding my engagement ring stone. packrat''s search was much more recent and she was looking for a lilac/lavender stone with very specific parameters, and it took her a while to find hers as well. If you''re specific about color, but not shape/size/carat weight, you''ll find one much faster.

I would not recommend going the ebay route, due to the possibility of getting a synthetic. I''d go to Barry/Dan/Gene/Peter or any other vendor that is listed in the stickied thread at the top. I believe Peter has a pretty purple-y emerald for sale currently featured on his site. Not sure about the others...

 

[chrono]

I recommend not going with cheap spinel for several reasons:
1. It’ll either be overly dark or have major extinction
2. It’ll have undesirable gray or brown undertones (unless you happen to love the undertone colour)
3. Might be synthetic or not well cut to show off the dispersion.

I like spinels for the variety of colour although I collect only pinks, reds and blues. These 3 are in high demand though and also command very high prices for top quality. The lilac / lavender spinels are equally beautiful in my eyes and is a good bargain because they are inexpensive. Spinels are tough enough for every day wear and with their high RI, give off multi coloured flashes of fire. I’m always on the look out for fine quality spinels.

 

[Indylady]

Freke, your spinels are gorgeous! I love the your gray spinel in the tapered baguette setting. Is there a color that sparkles the most? Perhaps the lighter colors?

 

[Indylady]

D''oh! AJ linked me to this gorgeous spinel a while ago and I had bookmarked it but forgotten. linky

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 12/4/2009 1:56:33 PM
Author: szh07
Freke, your spinels are gorgeous! I love the your gray spinel in the tapered baguette setting. Is there a color that sparkles the most? Perhaps the lighter colors?

Thanks! I think the lighter ones probably seem to sparkle more, or at least appear brighter, but they are all very very sparkly. Sparkle is really more of a result of cutting IMHO. There won''t be any light reflection if the angles aren''t correct.

You say sparkle and I automatically think of a light pink spinel I still have loose. It is native cut, and has small facets, but there is not a window, and the facets reflect back so much that the stone always appears gray in pictures because it''s reflecting the camera back at me...

These are some of the best pictures I''ve gotten of it. The blue and the dark gray stones are both spinels as well. The darker pink is a garnet, and the green a tourmaline.

Anyway, so that gives you a little bit of an idea of how different colors can compare.

These are all spinels too, in different lighting. Most of these are set or sold now:

 

[Indylady]

Wow!!

I love those two pinks!! Are there threads on them? I love the little pink one on the very left. Is the darker pink from the first two pics the same as the larger pink in the last two pictures? (I hope that wasn''t too confusing)

Is the grayish one that looks very bright the one that was set into the tapered baguette ring?

 

[Hest88]

I really want a gray. I just love that slate gray, kinda blue color, like the sky on a stormy day.

 

[stacy]

I know this sounds totally weird, but to me, a good spinel looks like it has an inner fire. Like there''s a lot of soul beneath the surface.

Maybe I''m just overly dramatic though.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 12/4/2009 4:32:11 PM
Author: szh07
Wow!!

I love those two pinks!! Are there threads on them? I love the little pink one on the very left. Is the darker pink from the first two pics the same as the larger pink in the last two pictures? (I hope that wasn't too confusing)

Is the grayish one that looks very bright the one that was set into the tapered baguette ring?

The first pink is the native cut stone I bought here in town, it is still unset.

So they are different. The first one (the native cut is 1.3cts and 6.7mm, the second is 1.1cts and 6.4mm I believe.

The dark pink stone in the first couple of pictures (next to the green) is an Umba Garnet--which I really need to set so I can actually enjoy it more often! That was cut by Peter...

The other pink in the second series of pictures was cut by Dan Stair, here is it's main thread where the pictures were taken under a gray sky so it translates into a more lavender/cool pink: Link

The tiny pink was cut by Barry, .65cts and 5.2mm.

The gray one that is super bright in the last three pics IS the gray--good eye! And yes it's in the tapered baguette setting now.

The biggest pink doesn't have it's own thread. I should probably remedy that eventually, but it probably won't happen until I set it. Whenever that may be!

Feel free to ask more questions! I love my spinels!

 

[FrekeChild]

Here is something that''s a little bit different than my others....

From John B at gemrite. My pictures don''t do it justice.

 

[Indylady]

Freke, thanks for the breakdown! Your collection is amazing..that tiny pink just glows. I love small stones that pack a big punch. Also, your hydrangea ring from Patrick Irla is perfect with the peachy spinel..

Do you have a favorite?

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 12/5/2009 1:53:22 AM
Author: szh07
Freke, thanks for the breakdown! Your collection is amazing..that tiny pink just glows. I love small stones that pack a big punch. Also, your hydrangea ring from Patrick Irla is perfect with the peachy spinel..

Do you have a favorite?

Yikes. Probably my ering or my gray. I wear the gray the most lately because my ering is too big, and I need to get it sized.

I took a couple of pictures tonight of my loose spinels...with my cell phone at night.

 

[FrekeChild]

...

 

[FrekeChild]

These are in order of size btw. The big purple-y one is the devil to take pictures of. It''s more of a black cherry dark pink in real life.

 

[Indylady]

That Gemrite spinel really pops! What is that darkish cushion? I know you really like blues, but is there a color of spinel that is your favorite? After reading your response to your pink spinel, I''m more inclined to pursue a pink or lavender stone. (This question is there for anyone else to answer as well! I see that Liane and Chrono both prefer blues and reds.)

I saw a lavender spinel on Barry''s site, and then on Mastercutgem''s, but both are already sold. I guess I''ll just have to keep my eyes open.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 12/5/2009 2:51:48 AM
Author: szh07
That Gemrite spinel really pops! What is that darkish cushion? I know you really like blues, but is there a color of spinel that is your favorite? After reading your response to your pink spinel, I'm more inclined to pursue a pink or lavender stone. (This question is there for anyone else to answer as well! I see that Liane and Chrono both prefer blues and reds.)

I saw a lavender spinel on Barry's site, and then on Mastercutgem's, but both are already sold. I guess I'll just have to keep my eyes open.

Tee hee. I just looked at those pictures again, and they are so terrible! Lol! Eh well, it was either that or wait until I found batteries.

The dark cushion is more commonly known as the "Darth Vader" spinel, because in real life it's basically black. Black, but sparkly. Dan Stair cut it for me.

Favorite color of spinel so far? Periwinkle. Sometimes I regret giving up the gorgeous periwinkle spinel Jstarfire set recently. But then I got LIB's spinel, it kind of goes between periwinkle-lavender and occasionally gray. They are both fabulous.

My preferred colors: blues of all shades, windex and cobalt would be fab, but way out of any feasible price range, light pink, hot pink, raspberry-blackberry, grays and black, lavender, periwinkle, oh, and PEACHY! I like reds too, but I don't have any of those yet...

ETA: LIB's spinel is the second largest.

 

[BWise]

Freke, I love all your rings but especially the second one from bottom! Where did you get that ring?

 

[T L]

Date: 12/4/2009 3:57:15 AM
Author: FrekeChild
Here is a stack of spinels. It''s a pic I took several days ago of my spinel ''erings'' all lined up together, but it''s not particularly flattering of any of them due to it being taken with a cell phone at night.
Top to bottom:
Gray, peach, light pink, silky lavender, medium blue, Big Blue (medium-dark), dark blue

WOW, what a gargantuan stack. Lovely rings Freke, you sure have long fingers to pull that photo off - LOL!!