Earlier this week we were lucky enough to source a truly unique gemstone\u2014a natural lilac coloured\u00a0Spinel. This connoisseurs choice makes a rare and fascinating alternative to other types of gemstones offered by jewellers.<\/p>\n
Spinel is one of those gemstones that rarely features within commercial jewellery stores. Owing to the rarity of certain colours, it can be extremely difficult to repeat certain colours, shapes and sizes.<\/p>\n
Natural examples have become a collector’s choice, prized for its varieties of colour and rarity. Red tends to be the most desirable colour existing alongside other varieties of colour including blue, violet, pink and orange.<\/p>\n
Recently introduced as a birthstone alternative for August, Spinel has been used historically, first identified as different from Ruby by\u00a0Mineralogist Jean Baptiste Louis Rome<\/a> de Lisle in 1783. With a hardness of 8 on Moh’s scale it is a perfect gemstone for durability and everyday wear. Violet and blue shades are a good hard-wearing alternative to Tanzanite for this reason. Although we have set Tanzanite into rings, few buyers realise that Tanzanite is rarely a hard wearing choice for day to day wear.<\/p>\n