If you haven’t heard about spinel engagement rings, then here is your chance. Spinel is a fine gemstone which has been around for ages. It doesn’t fall in the category of the ‘big four’ but it surely gives them a run for money. Blue and red spinels can easily trade places with blue sapphires and rubies respectively without anyone even noticing. And since they present an affordable alternative, people are loving spinels.
While couples are increasingly favoring red & blue spinel engagement rings, the popularity of other shades of spinel is also gaining momentum. In this article, we discuss some tips to choosing the best spinel engagement ring for a lifetime of happiness.
Why Care For a Spinel Engagement Ring?
Since spinels enjoy a durability of 8 out of 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, the stone is not susceptible to damage easily. Also, spinels are resistant to chemical exposures and light, making them suitable for everyday wear such as an engagement ring. Though extremely high temperatures could lead to fading of stone’s color, it does not happen usually.
Spinels do not have cleavage property, which means that the stones very strong molecular bonds along their internal planes. Consequently, spinels do not break along these planes. However, you need to keep your spinels clean and dirt-free to increase their life and shine.
What Are Different Spinel Colors You Must Look For?
Spinels are available in a wide band of colors in addition to red and blue. While it is natural to find a colorless spinel, other beautiful shades are black, orange, pink, yellow, lavender & green. The transparency also varies due to the presence of trace elements such as cobalt, chromium, iron, etc. The orange color variety has another name- “flame spinels” for their vibrant saturation and medium tones. Another color variant called “Jedi spinels” are well-known for their hot pink shades incorporating neon shine.
The red spinels with high transparency are often called balas rubies or spinel rubies. It is due to the fact that they are so much similar to the precious rubies in their appearance. In fact, until a few decades ago, spinels were often mistaken for such as the Black Prince Ruby. It was only by the end of the 18th century that spinels were identified as a distinct gemstone.
What Factors to Look For in a Spinel Engagement Ring?
While looking out for spinel rings, you must give more importance to their color and then their carat weight. The most-demanded shades such as vibrant red, cobalt blue, orange and pink varieties command the highest prices. On the other hand colors such as violet, lavender, black, gray etc. are valued very low and have low demand.
Since it is rare to find large and finely faceted spinels in the market, the price of such stone rises considerably as the carat weight increases. This is also the reason why many gem cutters would rather cut spinels in non-standard cuts so as to keep as much carat weight as possible. But even if two spinels have the same carat weight, their prices might differ due to their color.
Do You Like Color-Shifting Gemstones?
Apart from standard colors, spinels also come with the characteristics of changing color. Such gems are often light-sensitive and show different colors when observed under different light sources. For instance, a blue-hued spinel shows some purple in fluorescent light shifting but pink in incandescent light. Some stones display a blend of both colors under daylight. You may also find a rare spinel with a cat’s eye or asterism effect in a finely cut cabochon shape. Wouldn’t such an engagement ring be great?
For the August Born
If you’re an August baby, then spinel is your birthstone. You can wear it to benefit from its astrological and spiritual properties. And the best way to include the gem in your everyday life is by wearing a spinel engagement ring.
Which Metals Suit Spinel’s Fabulous Color Palette?
Spinel rings with with blue and pink stones look best in white metals such as silver, platinum and white gold. On the other hand, red and green go well with yellow gold, rose gold and copper. Also consider your affinity to the colors you love to wear in your attire. Finally, everything comes down to personal preference. You can go for any metal with any color as long as it suits your budget and skin tone.
Synthetic Spinels For Your Engagement Ring
Apart from naturally mined spinels, you can easily find a wide variety of lab-grown spinels. These artificial stones are even lower on the budget than their natural counterparts. Of late, the lab-made varieties have become commonplace. A gemstone certificate gives you the information whether the stone is natural or lab-made.
Synthetic and natural spinels are similar in terms of their physical and chemical properties, including their durability. Hence nobody other than an experienced gemologist can differentiate between the two by conducting a thorough examination and performing some standardized tests. So, if your budget is low for a natural spinel engagement ring, you can go synthetic. You can even afford bigger stone that way.
What Could be the Best Ring Settings for Spinels?
Since spinel is brittle in nature, your ring setting should be such that it could protect the edges of the centerstone, such as a bezel setting or a halo setting. In case, your spinel mounting is exposed to the outer forces, make sure to remove the ring every time you are doing some vigorous work. Like several other gemstones commonly worn by people, a spinel can shatter with an extreme sudden impact due to its brittleness.
Buy Your Spinels From a Trustworthy Source
Since there is no standard grading system for Spines gemstone dealers largely grade the stones in the range of A to AAAA, where the latter is best. Though the popularity of spinel is rising among jewelry enthusiasts, its market is still immature. And therefore you are less likely to find a reliable jeweler to purchase your spinel engagement ring. If you are very particular about buying a natural spinel only, choose a reputed vendor. In all likelihood that vendor will present you with all options including natural & lab-grown, and treated & untreated because each costs differently.
Conclusion
Red and blue spinels are the most favored alternatives to ruby and sapphire respectively. But these are not the only two colors, your options are much wider. Moreover, spinel is an affordable replacement for several highly priced gemstones. Though unconventional, spinel engagement rings don’t give you any worry related to charm and durability.
Now that we’ve shared some useful tips, it’s time for you to pick the best spinel engagement ring. If you find the tips helpful, then browse our collection of spinel gemstones and jewelry to pick your perfect charm.
