October’s gemstone spotlight shines on “the great imposter,” Spinel! Our spinel gemstones are hand-selected, allowing us to obtain the most alluring cuts and colors for our jewelry and for you! If you’re looking to add some spinel to your collection, you can find black and green spinel in a number of our threadless ends, seamless rings, and clickers.
Spinel is known as a protective and restorative stone. With an abundant range of colors, each with their own unique properties, this gemstone has something for everyone. Spinel has also recently been recognized as one of the three birthstones of the month of August.
Spinel in History
Spinel has quite an impressive history, adorning monarch’s crowns and emperor’s necklaces. But there was just one catch - everyone believed they were rubies! Spinel has been coined the “the great imposter” of gemstones for centuries due to it’s deep colors and identical resemblance to rubies, emeralds and sapphires. It wasn’t until 1783, when a French mineralogist named Jean-Baptiste Louis Romé de l’Isle proved through a new test that red spinel was in fact chemically different from rubies. In 1812, Friedrich Mohs invented his scale that defined the relative hardness of gemstones. This further proved the differences between the stones, with rubies measuring a hardness of 9, and spinel measuring in at 7.5-8. Mohs scale is still used to this day as the standard for measuring gemstone hardness. For a time, this led to a decline in the perceived value of the stone. However, in more recent history, Spinel has recaptured the hearts of jewelry connoisseurs and appears in fine jewelry from designers all over the world.
Possibly the most famous spinel, the “Black Prince’s Ruby,” was a gift from Pedro the Cruel to Edward the Black Prince in 1367 as a payment for battle. This prized gemstone was nearly lost in 1415, while adorning the helmet of Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt. Henry’s forces prevailed, and the Black Prince’s Ruby went on to be cherished by monarchs for generations. Nearly 700 years later, it now resides in the Tower of London, set in the Imperial State Crown of the British crown jewels.
Spinel in Buddha Jewelry
Our Moet threadless end is always a celebrated classic - but did you know that it also comes in a variety of stones? Flaunting three low profile marquise cut black spinel stones, this shadowy beauty can stand out alone or compliment many other designs. All of our threadless ends are available in solid 14kt yellow, white, and rose gold.
Both charming and elegant, the Grace threadless end encompasses one 2mm round cut Green Spinel stone in the center of a glittering array of twelve 0.7mm CZ’s. We’ll let the photo do all the talking here.
If you’re searching for clickers, the Mikah in black spinel is definitely worth noting! Available in 5/16” diameter, this sleek, side set clicker has one 1.3mm-2mm x 5mm black spinel center stone, and sixteen 1mm CZ's. It’s perfect for adorning a high lobe, helix, and more. Clickers are easy to install and remove, making them a great option for those who like to switch things up or remove their jewelry more often.
And last but certainly not least, the black spinel Staxx is finally here! With three 1mm x 2mm black spinel baguettes, this versatile threadless end can be styled beautifully in lobe, helix, tragus, conch, lip, and nose piercings.
Written by Summer Campbell 🌞