Spinel - knowledge base, jewelry
Properties of spinel, physiological effects, zodiac signs and spinel jewelry.
Its name comes from the Latin word spinella, which means spine in reference to its pointed crystals.
Spinel crystallizes in the isometric system. Many types of gemstones are called spinel, but few have the quality of a gemstone. It comes in many colors, but the most popular is red. The color of the spinel is given by iron, chromium, cobalt and vanadium. Large stones are rare. The largest spinel crystal to date was found in Vietnam in 2005, with a crystal diameter of 17,8 cm. Spinel was recognized as a separate mineral for 150 years, until then it was grouped together with ruby.
Spinel occurs primarily in granites and metamorphic rocks, often along with corundum. A characteristic of spinel is that it changes color upon heat.
Chemical and physical properties of spinel:
Formula:
MgAl2O4 Magnesium aluminium oxide
Color:
brown, blue, green, black, red, yellow
Streak:
white
Transparency:
transparent, opaque
Cleavage:
bad
Fracture:
conchoidal, uneven
Mohs scale hardeness:
8,0
Specific gravity:
3,54 – 3,63 g/cm³
Major metaphysical healing properties attributed to spinel:
Vitalizing, relaxing, antispasmodic, strengthens the heart muscle, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, gout, dizziness and rheumatism, misses the depression and the fear.
Use of spinel:
Spinel is a popular raw material in the jewelry industry. It comes in a wide variety of colors. Spinel can often be confused with ruby.
Types of spinel:
- Rubicelle: yellowish-brown version.
- Balas Ruby: rose-red.
- Pleonaste: dark green, black.
- Hercinit: darkgreen, black.
- Gahnospinel: blue- dark blue.
- Pikotit: brown, dark green, black.
Occurrence of spinel
Burma, Srí Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Nepal, Madagascar, Tanzania, Thailand, USA, Tajikistan, Nigeria