raddygast
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2004
- Messages
- 179
Ok, for various reasons I am leaning heavily towards spinel (most important of which is, for an equivalent quality fine ruby, I''d have to sell myself on the streets for a year to be able to afford it).
I have some questions, though.
1) Hardness. I''ve seen the moh''s scale for spinel quoted at 8, 8.5, 7.5, even 7. Which is it? Lots of places tell me they''d never recommend spinel because it is simply not a "lifetime" stone like diamond or corundum. Is it really that much softer? I was hoping it''d be hard enough to be set in something like a half-bezel at least.
2) Naturalness. Is there TRULY no treating process for spinels? I''m not referring to filling it with oil or fixing fractures (which I understand they sometimes do), I''m talking about color enhancement. I''d just like to hear that if I go with a fine colored spinel, the color was 100% produced by mother nature.
3) Rarity. I''d like to be able to say something like "spinel of this color is actually more rare than ruby." I''ve heard that, but I think it may be way off the mark. What is the reality? Can someone explain this bit to me? This is probably the most complex of the questions.
I understand that spinel is MgAl2O4 while corundum is Al2O3. And spinel grows in the same deposits, and once the Magnesium is depleted corundum forms. I''ve also read that corundum itself is not very rare, certainly much more abundant and common than spinel. But gem-grade corundum is rare.
Does this mean that gem-grade corundum is rare, or that gem-grade non-treated corundum specimens are rare?
Also, I''ve heard that "fine colored spinel" is sometimes harder to find than "fine colored ruby" but it''s much less expensive. I have no problem knowing that spinel is cheaper -- this is more of an issue of marketing and market demands and the timeless cultural history of the word "ruby." But is it really rarer? I thought maybe this was so because there was no way to enhance the color, whereas with ruby there is. But still, heated rubies of extremely fine color are still damn expensive.
So is this "spinel is rarer than ruby" saying made on the assumption that we''re comparing spinels to treated rubies? Because if it were untreated vs. untreated, isn''t fine ruby infinitely more rare?
I just wanted to get some of the facts straight. I love the look of this stone and was hoping to know more about it, scientifically and distributionally speaking. Is it actually a great "bargain" precious stone whose value in the gem trade is grossly underestimated at current market prices? Or is it just a cheap "ruby alternative" for ghetto consumers like myself?
I have some questions, though.
1) Hardness. I''ve seen the moh''s scale for spinel quoted at 8, 8.5, 7.5, even 7. Which is it? Lots of places tell me they''d never recommend spinel because it is simply not a "lifetime" stone like diamond or corundum. Is it really that much softer? I was hoping it''d be hard enough to be set in something like a half-bezel at least.
2) Naturalness. Is there TRULY no treating process for spinels? I''m not referring to filling it with oil or fixing fractures (which I understand they sometimes do), I''m talking about color enhancement. I''d just like to hear that if I go with a fine colored spinel, the color was 100% produced by mother nature.
3) Rarity. I''d like to be able to say something like "spinel of this color is actually more rare than ruby." I''ve heard that, but I think it may be way off the mark. What is the reality? Can someone explain this bit to me? This is probably the most complex of the questions.
I understand that spinel is MgAl2O4 while corundum is Al2O3. And spinel grows in the same deposits, and once the Magnesium is depleted corundum forms. I''ve also read that corundum itself is not very rare, certainly much more abundant and common than spinel. But gem-grade corundum is rare.
Does this mean that gem-grade corundum is rare, or that gem-grade non-treated corundum specimens are rare?
Also, I''ve heard that "fine colored spinel" is sometimes harder to find than "fine colored ruby" but it''s much less expensive. I have no problem knowing that spinel is cheaper -- this is more of an issue of marketing and market demands and the timeless cultural history of the word "ruby." But is it really rarer? I thought maybe this was so because there was no way to enhance the color, whereas with ruby there is. But still, heated rubies of extremely fine color are still damn expensive.
So is this "spinel is rarer than ruby" saying made on the assumption that we''re comparing spinels to treated rubies? Because if it were untreated vs. untreated, isn''t fine ruby infinitely more rare?
I just wanted to get some of the facts straight. I love the look of this stone and was hoping to know more about it, scientifically and distributionally speaking. Is it actually a great "bargain" precious stone whose value in the gem trade is grossly underestimated at current market prices? Or is it just a cheap "ruby alternative" for ghetto consumers like myself?
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