Cobalt Blue Spinel

[Bonsai]

Where can I get a cobalt blue spinel? I found some on only 1 site but they were very tiny.

 

[lovedogs]

true cobalt blue spinel is rare and very expensive. What is your budget and what size are you looking for?

 

[Bonsai]

true cobalt blue spinel is rare and very expensive. What is your budget and what size are you looking for?

fairly flexible
Not too big but bigger than .20 ct maybe.

 

[demantoidz]

yavorskyy have lots of low clarity, smaller ones, but maybe if you contact them theyd have something not listed that would suit you? https://yavorskyy.com/collections/cobalt-blue-spinel?sort=price-descending
Not top colour, but not highly included, 0,3ct: https://yavorskyy.com/collections/cobalt-blue-spinel/products/cobalt-neon-blue-spinel-0-31-ct

I think their finest is a 16ct (?) one, but possibly not quite that top, blinding neon blue colour. Good enough for me!
I hope you find what you are looking for. I love this material but it is so scarce.

Edit: I'm not knowledgable enough to comment on fair pricing.

 

[kqt]

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[Anne111]

I think there a difference between cobalt blue spinel and true cobalt spinel and it needs high-end testing.

 

[T L]

I think there a difference between cobalt blue spinel and true cobalt spinel and it needs high-end testing.

“Cobalt blue” is a misnomer. It simply means that the Spinel looks cobalt colored, but doesn’t necessarily contain that element. It’s more of a marketing ploy like “pigeon blood.” There are no restrictions on using that term and I’ve seen very grey spinels described as cobalt blue. “Cobalt spinel” means that the stone actually has been confirmed to contain cobalt, but not all true cobalt spinels are that blue.

Regardless of the element cobalt or not, one should always evaluate the stone on its color merits.

 

[Anne111]

yes, that was my post-post-research result, too.

 

[Nosean]

“Cobalt blue” is a misnomer. It simply means that the Spinel looks cobalt colored, but doesn’t necessarily contain that element. It’s more of a marketing ploy like “pigeon blood.” There are no restrictions on using that term and I’ve seen very grey spinels described as cobalt blue. “Cobalt spinel” means that the stone actually has been confirmed to contain cobalt, but not all true cobalt spinels are that blue.

Regardless of the element cobalt or not, one should always evaluate the stone on its color merits.

TL, thank you for this!

Cobalt is a very powerful coloring element - 20x higher than divalent iron.

There is an interesting video from GIA which explain cobalt spinel. I try to find the link.

Honestly I don’t agree with some definitions - there are deeper colored cobalt spinel from Sri Lanka with a pure blue and a very strong spectrum which are „no cobalt spinels“ following this video.

And I wish they would be as consequent in their definition of alexandrite. Greenish yellow to orange color changing chrysoberyl from Sri Lanka is now „warm alexandrite“...(G&G Winter 2019).

To make the confusion complete...



This is one of my new addition to my collection - a Gahnite (Zn-Spinel) from Kagoro Nigeria colored by Cobalt. Pure Gahnite from Brazil is deep forestgreen colored by iron.

The little dark crystal in the center is a zircon - radiation from the radioactive elements is responsible for the halo.

 

[Anne111]

Ha? You say there is green spinel, too? Please expand!

 

[arkieb1]

African produces darker blue spinel and occasionally that neon electric blue coloured spinel, most of the best coloured blues are tiny badly cut, heavily included and come from Luc Yen in Vietnam.

 

[Nosean]

Ha? You say there is green spinel, too? Please expand!

Like Garnet group with for example Grossular, Andradite and Pyrope there is a Spinel Group with Magnesio-Spinel, Hercynite and Gahnite. These are each a mineral species and not a varity.

Gahnite from Brazil is deep to dark forest green - has a very high density and RI than Mg-Spinel ( the gem Spinel).

 

[Bonsai]

Thx everyone; very informative. I will pass on the spinel and am going to do a sapphire instead.

 

[elle_71125]

I found this one on LT. They're offering a 2 week return period.
https://loupetroop.com/listings/loo...1-dot-49ct-eye-clean-vietnamese-cobalt-spinel