Spinel is one of the oldest precious stones. However, you will not find any mention of it until the middle of the Middle Ages. Yes, you, of course, guessed that all this time the stone was hiding under other names, or maybe it was "posing" itself as some other gems? Both "versions" are absolutely correct.

Stone story

For many centuries, spinel "pretended" to be ... a ruby. Therefore, in the royal treasuries, some rubies later turned out to be spinels. Of course, this happened by chance, namely because the spinel was mistakenly considered a ruby. However, despite this, the precious stone served as a worthy gift to the kings and rulers of this world.

In ancient times, all red stones were called carbuncles (from the lat. Carbunculus - "coal"). Among them were rubies, garnets (pyropes, almandines) and spinels. In the IX - X centuries. these stones began to be distinguished into yahonts (red - rubies, blue - sapphires) and lalas, that is, spinels.

According to one version, the name “lal” spinel got from the name of the mountain Kuh-i-lal (“Mountain lala”) in the Badakhshan region, where a large gem deposit was discovered. By the way, rubies were found in abundance here. It was at this time that the gems were divided into yahonts and lalas, considering the latter a less valuable variety of ruby.



And so, spinel is a modern name, but it's also quite old. Why was it called that? Apparently, as the mineralogists suggest, this came from the pointed shape of the gem crystals (from the Latin spina - "thorn"). There is another version - the stone got its name due to its extraordinary brilliance (Greek "spintes" - "spark").

In Russia, stones were called lalas for their beautiful scarlet color. In western Europe, spinel was also appreciated, it became famous there in the 13th century after the journey of Marco Polo. A Genoese merchant visited the Pamirs and visited the ruby ​​mines, he wrote that the stones were mined only with the permission of the ruler of Badakhshan, who sold them for gold. In his notes, Marco Polo referred to spinel as "balash" or Badakhshan lal. And only in 1783 ruby ​​and spinel were recognized as different minerals.

A beautiful stone with an unusual luster adorned many of the royal treasuries and regalia. And it doesn't matter that he was mistaken for a ruby. And when the truth triumphed, the beauty and value of the gem did not suffer in the least.

The largest spinel is owned by the Iranian treasury. It is known as the spinel from Samaria (in the 9th-8th centuries BC, the capital of the Kingdom of Israel). This is a blood-red stone weighing 500 carats (100 grams), 5.5 cm wide.

The second largest jewel adorns the Great Imperial Crown of the Russian Empire, which is exhibited in the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin. The gem weighing 398.72 carats has a red color, it is clear and transparent. It was acquired by one of the Russian diplomats in Beijing under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.



In 1724 he adorned the first Russian crown, which was crowned to the throne of Catherine I. In 1762, spinel adorned the new crown of the Russian Empire, and Catherine II was crowned with it. Legendary stones take pride of place in the British Crown and in the Louvre. Beautiful gems adorned not only royal attire, but also objects of religious worship, as well as jewelry. An example is the altar composition "Holy Trinity", made by French craftsmen.

So what kind of stone is this noble spinel?

Stone properties

It turns out that spinels are representatives of a large group of minerals called spinels. In other words, there are many of them and they are different.

Their main components are aluminum, iron, chromium. Those varieties in which chromium and iron are found are raw materials for the extraction of these metals, but aluminum spinels are just of interest for jewelry. They are the precious stones.



The stones on which the trail of history is marked are mostly reddish. But the color palette of spinels is varied. In color, the stones differ in blood-red - ruby, pink-red - balay-ruby, violet-red - almandine spinel, orange-red and yellow - ruby, blue and blue - sapphire spinel and ganospinel, bright green - chlorospinel, dark - green - pleonaste or ceylonite.

What does this mean? Of course, about impurities, and in particular about impurities of chromium and iron in different combinations.

Jewelry

In jewelry, one of the advantages of spinel is its shine and various shades. Some types in jewelry are very much appreciated, for example, balle-ruby, ruby, ruby, almandine, sapphire, pleonas. Raspberry, pale pink and blue are especially popular among buyers. Only noble (transparent) spinels are used, but more often on the shelves of jewelry stores you can find synthetic gems, which were first obtained at the end of the 19th century.

Synthetic stones also have a variety of colors: aquamarine, green, sapphire, etc.

Spinel requires careful handling due to its fragility. In cut, it allows various shapes: brilliant, stepped and combined. Stones with an asterism effect are cut in the form of a cabochon. Most often, the "star" that glows through the gem has four intersecting rays (the ruby ​​has six).



The most popular jewelry items are rings and earrings. However, among the jewelry there are brooches, pendants, bracelets made of many crystals. Jewelry masterpieces are exhibited in many museums around the world.

It is better to buy spinel jewelry in stores that inspire confidence, as you can distinguish fake stone from natural is impossible. If you have any suspicions about the authenticity of the stone, it is best to contact a jeweler or gemologist. The cost of a real noble spinel starts at $ 20-30 per carat. Gems with the most popular color in jewelry are priced from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per carat.

Field

The oldest spinel deposit is in the Pamirs, where Badakhshan lal was mined. These developments were carried out from the X - XII century. The mine functioned sometimes with some interruptions until the 19th century. Today it is also of interest. But the main sources of extraction of the gem are the placers of Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Thailand, Burma.

In Ceylon, magnificent purple and blue spinels are mined; in Burma, bright pink stones are found. There are spinel deposits in Canada, USA, Sweden, Italy, Russia, Poland. In Russia, spinel is mined in the Southern Urals, Southern Baikal region, and Yakutia. There is spinel in India, Brazil, Afghanistan.

Healing and magical properties of spinel

Since ancient times, spinel has been considered a medicine; it has even been consumed internally in the form of a powder. Today lithotherapists continue to assert that a good stone can heal the stomach, raise mood, and improve vision. The famous medieval physician and occultist Paracelsus assured that the person who wears the spinel is protected from nightmares, evil spirits, and also from back pain.



In oriental medicine, it is believed that the stone is able to influence the physical and emotional state of the body and gives a feeling of happiness. Modern lithotherapists admit the fact that the healing properties of spinel depend on the color of the stone.For example, red stone strengthens the immune system, supports the body against viral diseases, pink heals the nervous system, has a calming effect and normalizes sleep, green helps in love, stabilizes heart rate and blood pressure, blue heals the stomach, diseases of the kidneys, liver, lungs, black stops bleeding, helps with hypotension.



In the East, spinel is considered a stone of love and passion, and therefore the glory of a powerful stimulant of sexual energy has strengthened behind it. Therefore, in ancient times, women wore rings with this gem to attract love, lovers gave jewelry to each other, and healers and sorcerers used them in meditation sessions.

In an old Russian medical book, it is said about the meaning of spinel - "... one who carries this stone expels pestilence, bodily lusts, removes bodily lusts, removes the human body from any illnesses, drives away evil thoughts, repairs friendship between people, multiplies all happiness ..."

What do astrologers say? They associate spinel with the energies of the Sun, Venus and Jupiter. As a talisman, astrologers advise wearing red and yellow spinel for Leo, Aries, green and blue for Aquarius and Sagittarius, pink for Libra, black for Scorpio. They also suggest setting gems in gold, although many jewelers use both silver and platinum for setting.



As all is well said about spinel, it seems that there is no better amulet! But the stone, it turns out, has not a simple character, but somewhat wayward. It can bring both happiness and misfortune, so all fortune-tellers and magicians warn not to wear spinel all the time, in other words, do not abuse the stone and not tempt fate.

But at the same time, there are other explanations for the capricious nature of spinel - the stone helps only people with good intentions, then it will bring good luck and love, help to achieve their goals. A greedy and evil person, who has black secret thoughts, it is better not to touch the spinel - he will get in full trouble.

What follows from this? Wear a stone if you like it, if you are in love with it, and build your destiny with those who are dear.