Perfect Purple Spinel!

If you've never heard of Spinel, you're not alone, but you are about to have your mind blown! Spinel comes in every color, is an 8 on the Mohs scale of hardness (only diamonds (10), rubies (9) and sapphires (9) are harder), like the Beryls Topaz, Aquamarine, Emerald and Morganite -- all of which you've no doubt heard of! It has been prized for centuries and is found in crowns and scepters of royalty. It's durable and not susceptible to cleavage or fracturing, its luster is classified as "sub-adamantine". Only a few other gemstones have that classification - Corundums (rubies and sapphires), Chrysoberyls like Alexandrite, and a few pricey varieties of Garnet (the only things with a higher luster, "adamantine", are Zircons, Sphenes, and Diamonds). So why have you never heard of it? Most haven't. If you walk into any jewelry store and ask them to show you their Spinel collection, they may have ONE. They may also just look at you funny. But this incredible gemstone that can pass for the cleanest sapphires and rubies at a fraction of the cost has recently been added to Peridot as August's birthstone. So if you're looking for a perfect gift for that Leo in your life or for someone who has everything, look at a Spinel! I will be posting more Spinels soon. This excellent bluish-purple gem is VVS in clarity and .41 Carats. Unheated and untreated in any way, this gem comes from Sri Lanka. Octagonal cut with excellent luster, this stone measures 4.6 X 4.2 X 2.5 mm.