Spinel

Spinel (spi-NEL or SPIN-ul) is usually transparent, and appears in a range of colours, including red, pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, brown, and black. In its pure form, it is colourless, although this is quite a rare occurrence. The color in spinel is due to impurities in the crystal.

The largest known spinel, known as the Samarian Spinel, weighs 100 grams. Many other famous spinel gemstones were found in a time when the term ‘ruby’ applied to many red gemstones, including red spinel; for this reason, they carry names such as “The Black Prince’s Ruby”. Interestingly enough, spinel generally occurs in the same deposits as ruby and sapphire. Though red spinel and ruby look quite similar, they can be distinguished by their hardness (as ruby has a hardness of 9).

It has a Mohs hardness of 8 and an isometric crystal structure.

Location: There are spinel deposits in Australia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Cambodia, Madagascar, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, and the United States.

Properties: All colours of spinel are useful for releasing energetic tensions that contribute to stress and worry, which subsequently lead to fatigue. It is a useful meditation aid as it guides the wearer to relax, surrender, calm, and focus. While it calms, it also actually rejuvenates those who are worn out, energizes those who feel fatigued, and brings readiness for action to those who are weary.

Specific colours of spinel activate various other areas: black is for grounding and protection; blue is for communication, mental clarity, and enhancement of psychic talents; green is for compassion, devotion, kindness, and emotional cleansing; yellow is for personal power and manifestation; orange is for creativity and fertility; red is for strength and physical vitality; and purple helps with spirituality and intuition.