Spinel, often mistaken as Ruby, a rare beautiful jewel

The impostor counterpart to Ruby and Sapphire for hundreds of years, Spinel has even fooled royalty: the Black Princess Ruby in the British Crown Jewels is a Spinel. Now, Spinel finally has its own lane, its own race—and it is in the Olympics with Ruby and Sapphire, selling for up to five digits a carat. Our Gem Hunter Don Kogen takes us through the different varieties and origins of Spinel—Namya Red Jedi, Sri Lanka Cobalt, Vietnam Neon Cobalt Blue, and Mahenge Tanzanian—and up to his discovery of the world’s largest Cobalt Spinel, a 25.00 carat anomaly of a gemstone for which a mere 3.00 carat specimen is rare.

You can find the podcast transcript and bonus features at https://www.katflorence.com/pages/journey-to-the-stone-spinel.