Black spinel necklace Thailand AA (faceted beads 3-4mm) - 45cm

The oldest spinel was discovered in a Buddhist tomb dating back to 100 BC. This tomb is located near Kabul in Afghanistan. This spinel is the oldest known. In England, blue spinels from the Roman era have been identified dating from 50 BC to 400 AD.

Spinel has its etymological origin in the Latin word "spina" for thorn or "spinula" for small thorn due to the shape of its crystals. There is another etymology which comes from the Greek "spinther" which translates as sparkling or glittering.

Its name was given to it in 1783 by Jean-Baptiste Louis Romé de L'Isle (1736-1790), a French mineralogist and physicist considered one of the creators of modern crystallography. He was able to detect the difference between ruby ​​and sapphire and distinguished spinel from other gemstones. He then became the founder of gemology.

It should be noted that despite its spelling, spinelle is masculine despite its ending -elle.

Spinel comes in several colors: red, blue, orange, pink, purple, green, and black. Its beautiful colors are due to the impurities in its crystalline structure. Here are a few examples: chromium gives it its red color, iron gives it green, and cobalt gives it blue.

It stands out from other gemstones due to its extremely high melting point of 2135°C. It is not very sensitive to heat. With a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, it is highly valued by jewelers and jewelers for creating exceptional jewelry. For comparison, diamond has the highest hardness, at 10 on the same scale.

Spinel has a reputation as the biggest fraud in the gem world. For many years, even centuries, it was used for royal or ecclesiastical purposes as a genuine ruby ​​or sapphire. Indeed, its high refractive index (identical to that of sapphire), its hardness, and the intensity of its colors are the source of these numerous confusions.

Thus, in ancient times, all red stones were mistaken for rubies, wrongly, because they were essentially red spinels. The most famous example of this confusion is the Black Prince's Ruby set in the center of the English crown. In reality, it is not a ruby, but a red spinel.

Furthermore, black spinel is an exceptional stone. Very similar to black diamond, also called carbonado, they are both opaque and do not diffuse any light. Visually, it is almost impossible to separate them. However, black diamond is more porous and requires a lot of effort and attention to cut.

Thus, the black diamond is much less well-known and less used in jewelry. On the other hand, the black spinel is an excellent alternative to the black diamond. Cut into cabochons, it features an asterism with a beautiful 6-pointed star clearly visible under a beam of light.

The main deposits of spinel are on all continents, notably in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Africa, etc.

In lithotherapy, black spinel is a stone of protection against negative energies, jealousy, bad spells, black magic, and curses. It acts as a shield, sending bad influences back to their sender and stopping any attempt at psychic intrusion. It strengthens one's grounding and gives them the strength to start anew. Black spinel helps one let go of the past and move more freely toward the future.

This magnificent black stone allows its wearer to better structure their thoughts and achieve consistency in their actions. Thus, it gives them courage, determination, and a strong will. In fact, the wearer of this stone is able to achieve the goals they set for themselves. They follow through on their projects and desires.

Black spinel is known as a stone of love. It encourages openness and kindness toward others. It fosters compassion, empathy, and understanding. It promotes longevity in relationships, strengthening passion and loyalty. It also promotes communication between friends or spouses and can even resolve conflicts.

Finally, black spinel is a stone of mourning. It helps overcome the loss of a loved one, and even a painful separation.