Update! Gem Report For Unknown Blue Gemstone

[mina78]

I made a promise that you would all be the first to know the result of the gem report and this morning I heard back from Stephen Kennedy from the Gem & Pearl Lab in Hatton Garden, London and he confirmed that the gemstone in my antique 15ct gold and moonstone brooch is......

*drum roll*

Natural Blue Spinel!






Well done ItsMainelyYou who guessed correctly that it was a spinel!

I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed with this result as I was hoping for it to be a sapphire (or even alexandrite!), but it's been a really productive learning experience and this was my first gemstone that I've submitted for testing, hopefully there will be more to come in the future.

 

[Timor]

Have not been following the previous thread but I love your brooch! Congrats on a mystery solved!

 

[LemonMoonLex]

Wow, what a neat ending to it all! It's so rare to find larger natural spinel in older pieces, I never even thought of it!

Hope you can grow to love your new spinel & moonstone brooch!

 

[whitewave]

Oh how cool!

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

Blue spinels are certainly having their day in the sun! I went looking for such a unicorn, and I bet I paid a lot more than you did. I have developed quite an affection for them. Hope the brooch grows on you!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Hot damn, TOLD YA, I had that pegged. The inclusions looked like mine Don't be disappointed, blue spinel is the rarest spinel. I would give my eye teeth to find such a rock.

 

[GliderPoss]

That's so awesome and thank you for coming back to reveal the mystery to us

 

[glitterata]

Gorgeous stone in a gorgeous setting--I would be thrilled and not the tiniest bit disappointed if it were me!

 

[mina78]

Thanks all, after further research I'm starting to warm to the idea of natural blue spinel, although I stupidly forgot to ask if it was a 'cobalt' blue spinel while talking to Stephen over the phone, so I'll have to wait until I collect the paper report next week to check this detail.

Would a cobalt spinel of this size (3.5-4ct) and colour be quite valuable?

I think my next step will be to submit this brooch and report to Bonhams in Knightsbridge, London and see what their auction estimate would be.

 

[minousbijoux]

Whether or not your spinel actually contains cobalt is one thing, but the value of a cobalt spinel is really in the vivid nature of the blue, which yours is lacking. If it were me I'd stop looking at this as an asset to profit from and enjoy it as the beautiful moonstone and spinel brooch that it is.

 

[mina78]

Whether or not your spinel actually contains cobalt is one thing, but the value of a cobalt spinel is really in the vivid nature of the blue, which yours is lacking. If it were me I'd stop looking at this as an asset to profit from and enjoy it as the beautiful moonstone and spinel brooch that it is.

I completely agree, I just know so little about spinel I’m merely curious what its market value would be, and where spinel sits within the commercial market of fine gemstones. I have no idea what the quality factors of spinel are and where this stone is located within that hierarchy- I think such a question naturally follows once a stone has been definitively identified, don’t you agree?

I was struck by this brooch the moment I saw it, which is why I purchased it, everything else since has been an exercise in learning, which is still currently ongoing.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Blue spinel alone are just rare, cobalt bearing will bump the price just because of rarity but gray modifier will even that out. I would love to see some hand shots/video in sun/shade to see how gray it actually leans. The more blue, cleaner the crystal, the higher the price. Hard to say as an antique piece.
Spinel sometimes doesn't photograph well, mine certainly don't. I have a cobalt bearing blue that looks almost navy in pictures, lots of extinction on camera but is very much a lovely peacock blue in person. It's just a fairly poor native cut for weight which doesn't help.

The determinant is a professional eye looking at it in person.
I'm super curious to hear what the insurance people say.

Just for fun:
The cobalt color that's ridiculous money looks like this, if you can even find it. They're usually highly included and in smaller sizes. Thousands for half carat and under stones. They can ask whatever they want for the big ones- someone will buy them.

 

[lilmosun]

Your pendant is beautiful and having a genuine spinel is a bonus!

Spinels have come into their own in recent years and while they may not demand the prices of their corundum counterparts of similar color, I've seen prices go up in recent years with demand/market awareness (it's now one of the official birthstones for the month of August).

 

[mina78]

Thanks all, here’s a copy of the lab report if anyone is interested to see it-

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Did they happen to give you any ballparks on value? Did they find cobalt? I'm super curious because as it's antique it's a package deal and that makes is so much harder to guesstimate!