Attention Spinel Lovers!

[DiamondExpert]

If you''re a spinel lover, especially red spinel, this article gives pause...

http://www.ssef.ch/en/news/pdf/08-10_newsletter_spinel.pdf

They''re probably not common, but it''s just one more thing to have to think about.

 

[mercoledi]

Nice article, thanks for sharing. Luckily, I''m not in a tax bracket to even look at red spinels. It sounds like the synthetics are pretty convincing- is the microscopic analysis of inclusions reliable enough to be a filter if you have the equipment?

 

[DiamondExpert]

m - I''m sure it would depend on the individual stone, and just how good the observer is with the ''scope.

Obvious flux or metalic platinum inclusions would be diagnostic, but they might not be easy to spot or might be absent from that portion of the crystal that you are looking at.

If you''re planning to part with substantial geld, I''d demand a good cert. as backup.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Thanks for the info!
In school, all we''ve identified are flame fusion. The flux look really tricky.

 

[Harriet]

Thanks, Gary.

 

[Richard M.]

I''ve been warning clients and associates about this stuff for a couple of years now. Flux spinel is also being produced in fine blue, despite what SSEF says, and both colors can present difficulties in ID. It''s manufactured in Russia and the Bangkok EBay dealers are very much aware of it.

For the umpteenth time, small natural inclusions can be your friends when buying colored gems. When stones are very clean a red flag goes up for me and I''m not satisfied until I''ve done sufficient testing to prove natural origin. Certificates are a must on high-dollar spinels these days.

Richard M.