Spinel is derived from ‘spina’, Latin for ‘arrow’. Its trademark lies in its vivid intensity tinged with the energy of neon hues. The most representative hue in spinel is a vibrant pink. The neon fuchsia shade more familiarly known as Hot Pink is found only in spinel. It comes in colors of red, lavender and cobalt blue depending on the trace elements found in it. The vivid red and pink of its color is very beautiful and may be sometimes mistaken for a ruby. Rumor has it that spinel is as precious as a good quality ruby. In fact, it only became clear in the 18

th century that a red spinel is made of a different mineral as compared to a ruby. This means to say that spinel and ruby had been dealt on the same level until that time. An anecdote on ‘Ruby of Edward the Black Prince’ speaks of a large shining ruby in the

crown of the royal family in England since 14th century which turns out to be a red spinel.

 

Unlike ruby, spinel is not included in the list of monthly birthstones and enjoys relatively less limelight in the world of gemology. Despite that, it is considered a good gemstone for jewelry design for its relative sturdiness on the Mohs scale (8.0) and its array of dazzling colors.