Blue spinel - what to consider before buying?

[Avondale]

This is me doing my homework. PS is a good teacher, y'all should be proud.

In short, there's this pawn shop in town that post their items online and I occasionally browse their inventory and save inspo pics. A few of their new pieces caught my attention, one of them being a blue spinel ring, the stone described as approx. 10mm round, approx. 4ct, natural (examined by gemologist) and with a pretty and saturated blue colour. They offer the option to get the stone certified. No origin mentioned and I don't expect it can be determined.

It is worth mentioning their photos are hideous. Absolutely terrible. Not worth posting. They're focused on displaying whatever piece of jewellery it is they're selling from all possible angles and not much attention is being paid to photographing coloured stones in a flattering way. But from what is visible I can conclude that the spinel really does have a pretty blue colour, albeit with (maybe?) some grey in it and (maybe?) a bit darker tone. Not much can be said about cut or clarity. Seeing it in different lighting conditions is an impossible dream, it's only shown under LED lights.

So, I'm thinking of just going there and seeing it in person (depending on what people here say). And if I do and I like it, I might consider buying. The thing is, and let's get this out of the way from the start, certifying with the American GIA or AGL is not a possibility. If I was dealing with a 5-figure sum (maybe one day when I grow up), I might consider it. For now, what we have at our disposal is the local lab. They are reliable and reputable in the local trade (I checked), they're just small.

Considering all of the above, what should I be aware of? So far I know to bring a UV torch with me and run in the other direction if I see fluorescence. What treatments should I ask about? Also, what would be the lowest expected price for such a stone? I need to consider whether they've priced it too low and we're crossing into "too good to be true" territory.

I know I said the pictures aren't worth posting, but it would be rude to leave you blind. This is the best one:

 

[T L]

A 10mm blue spinel cut like that, and super clean, is most probably synthetic Are there any inclusions? You really need better photos. Can you see it in person? Can you loupe it?

I would definitely have an independent lab like GIA or AGL examine it. Unfortunately, not all gemologists are created equal and some only know diamonds and others deal very little with “exotic” gems.

What are the credentials of the gemologist at the local lab in town?

Also you should know that they are synthesizing grayish blue spinel these days, and most gemologists may be thrown off by that, because traditionally, synthetic spinel has always been so bright in color.

 

[Avondale]

The answers to your initial questions are in the OP. As to this:

What are the credentials of the gemologist at the local lab in town?

One of them is GG with HRD for sure. The rest are either HRD or GIA, afaik, but I don't have detailed information. Don't know who the pawn shop's gemologist is, which is why I'm not blindly trusting their assessment of the stone being natural (but if they're using who I suspect they might be using because he's also working with one other pawn shop, he's with HRD as well and is a well-known name).

 

[T L]

Doesn’t the HRD certificate have more to do with diamond grading?

 

[Avondale]

They train gemologists in coloured stones as well. The lab here grades coloured stones 100%.

 

[indigoblue]

Early in my CS experiences, I bought a ring on eBay. It was advertised as a 10mm tanzanite and was in a nice 18k YG setting. My local jeweler didn't think it was a tanzanite and referred me to another jeweler. He doubted it too and sent me to a third jeweler who thought it was a synthetic. One criterion he used to make his decision was the fact that it was exactly 10mm.

I returned the ring and was given a full refund. Then I was contacted a few weeks later by someone who had bought it from the same eBay seller, except this time he sold it as a sapphire. I told her my story, but she didn't care because she liked the ring anyway.

My only point is that when you mentioned 10mm, it reminded me of this purchase.

 

[fredflintstone]

There are very clean blue Spinel's that size & bigger but they are fairly expensive.

Of course being from a pawn shop it is most likely an "estate" ring. Second hand, so a cheaper price. But Pawn shops (at least quite a few) are also jewelry store selling new jewelry.

This one if the picture is right is grayish, not bad, but grayish. If it did not have any gray in it, it would rival very good quality blue Sapphire in price. Very few blue Spinels don't have gray in them. Very, very, rare.

 

[CaseyLouLou]

A 10mm blue spinel cut like that, and super clean, is most probably synthetic Are there any inclusions? You really need better photos. Can you see it in person? Can you loupe it?

I would definitely have an independent lab like GIA or AGL examine it. Unfortunately, not all gemologists are created equal and some only know diamonds and others deal very little with “exotic” gems.

What are the credentials of the gemologist at the local lab in town?

Also you should know that they are synthesizing grayish blue spinel these days, and most gemologists may be thrown off by that, because traditionally, synthetic spinel has always been so bright in color.

I agree. Probably synthetic. GIA is $85 which seems worth it if you want to find out.

 

[T L]

Another thing that seems suspect is the mounting. I’ve also seen mountings like that with synthetic gems. The aesthetics of it scream that to me. The second reason is that spinel is a very rare gemstone to find second hand in a pawn shop, unless it’s synthetic. Synthetic spinel is very very common estate pieces. Also, you rarely see round spinels that size, as they’re often cut in ovals and cushions that size. The cutting is actually a very good from what I can see, so again my suspicion is flared.

I agree with @fredflintsone about everything, but I will say that even grayish spinels are really going up in price. This one is really large, around 4 or 5 carats, so the price goes up exponentially beyond two carats. I think if it was natural, it seems to be a very pleasing color and tone. Many grayish blue spinels are overly dark.

 

[fredflintstone]

I do not totally disagree it could be synthetic, but normally synthetic blue Spinel is a much more bluer color and darker. The thinking being this, why make synthetic blue Spinel an average grayish blue color, while most synthetic gemstones mimic the industry standard for whatever gemstone species they are and color, and yes, the mounting is fairly non-descript, but there are a million jewelers out there that have in their mounting catalogs mountings that are very generic.

Nothing is 100% sure until it is 100% sure.

 

[T L]

I do not totally disagree it could be synthetic, but normally synthetic blue Spinel is a much more bluer color and darker. The thinking being this, why make synthetic blue Spinel an average grayish blue color, while most synthetic gemstones mimic the industry standard for whatever gemstone species they are and color, and yes, the mounting is fairly non-descript, but there are a million jewelers out there that have in their mounting catalogs mounting that are very generic.

Nothing is 100% sure until it is 100% sure.

They’ve been doing grayish spinel hues for a while now in synthetic spinel. You have to be so careful. They have just about every hue in synthetic spinel these days. It used to be only the more popular colors that mimicked fine sapphire, ruby and aquamarine, but not anymore. I’ve stopped buying spinel because of this, unless there’s a verified lab report.

They do this because there’s a huge market for gray stones these days.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Finding a natural blue in this shade, that big, is really rare. It happens, but it's rare. Usually it's in a Deco or earlier piece. This shade in synthetics became pretty popular in the seventies. It's no mystery why, it's a beautiful color.

The only reason I know this is I also would love to find a natural this size that I could ever possibly afford. I obsessively look, so I've seen a few of them. Certing with the best lab would be wise, because if it turns out natural it's worth some coin.

 

[Avondale]

But Pawn shops (at least quite a few) are also jewelry store selling new jewelry.

Not here. The law requires a pawn shop to be only pawn shop. So only second hand pieces.

I agree, it’s most definitely somewhat grey, but to what extent I can’t determine by photos alone. In your experience, if we assume natural, what kind of treatments are common with these stones? Everyone says spinels are generally not treated, but then some obviously are…

GIA is $85 which seems worth it if you want to find out.

GIA is not an option, as I already stated. It’s not $85 - not when you consider shipping half-way across the planet, insurance, import fees and VAT in both directions. No one is going to deal with all that just to potentially get confirmation the stone is synthetic. No one.

 

[T L]

Treatments are typically clarity enhancements, but since blue spinels tend to be clean, it’s more often done on reds. .

The most concerning treatment I’ve seen in recent years on blue spinel is cobalt diffusion. It artificially enhances or changes the color of the stone.

https://www.git.or.th/eng/testing_center_en/lab_notes_en/glab_en/2016/11/C9-A0237-1.pdf#:~:text=Cobalt%20diffusion%20-treated%20spinel%20has%20been%20introduced%20to,identified%20fairly%20easy%20by%20a%20number%20of%20techniques.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Not here. The law requires a pawn shop to be only pawn shop. So only second hand pieces.

I agree, it’s most definitely somewhat grey, but to what extent I can’t determine by photos alone. In your experience, if we assume natural, what kind of treatments are common with these stones? Everyone says spinels are generally not treated, but then some obviously are…


GIA is not an option, as I already stated. It’s not $85 - not when you consider shipping half-way across the planet, insurance, import fees and VAT in both directions. No one is going to deal with all that just to potentially get confirmation the stone is synthetic. No one.

People do that all the time. Do you know what the bigger or medium sized labs are in your area? There are some really great ones. It doesn't have to be GIA. There are better labs for CS stones.
https://www.starlanka.com/gemstone-labs/ These are some of the better known ones.
Blue is the rarest color group in spinel. Their prices are skyrocketing, it's actually hard to find comps because they're like hens teeth.

They didn't treat blue spinel until pretty recently, because there was no reason to when a synthetic can be produced relatively cheaply. The lighter blues synths. have been around since the 1920's specifically to capture the aquamarine like blue colors as they were all the rage.
The newer blue diffusion enhancements on naturals mimics the most vivid cobalt or cornflower blues- they're pretty obvious when you see them.

It might be worth a shot to contact your or an insurance company and see if they can recommend an appraiser that has experience with CS and spinel in particular. Many appraisers can mistake them for real without full lab capabilities.
If it's natural it's an real find!

 

[CaseyLouLou]

Not here. The law requires a pawn shop to be only pawn shop. So only second hand pieces.

I agree, it’s most definitely somewhat grey, but to what extent I can’t determine by photos alone. In your experience, if we assume natural, what kind of treatments are common with these stones? Everyone says spinels are generally not treated, but then some obviously are…


GIA is not an option, as I already stated. It’s not $85 - not when you consider shipping half-way across the planet, insurance, import fees and VAT in both directions. No one is going to deal with all that just to potentially get confirmation the stone is synthetic. No one.

That’s what I paid in the US recently but shipping wasn’t an issue. I didn’t realize this was an international purchase.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Lab created blue spinels can be found in all kinds of colors. Some really pretty and intense, others with a lot gray. Here's a few examples.

 

[T L]

Gene only posted some of the blue grays, they make a myriad more colors in pinkish grays, lavender greys, teal grays, purple grays, brick reds, etc…

 

[Avondale]

Treatments are typically clarity enhancements, but since blue spinels tend to be clean, it’s more often done on reds. .

The most concerning treatment I’ve seen in recent years on blue spinel is cobalt diffusion. It artificially enhances or changes the color of the stone.

https://www.git.or.th/eng/testing_center_en/lab_notes_en/glab_en/2016/11/C9-A0237-1.pdf#:~:text=Cobalt%20diffusion%20-treated%20spinel%20has%20been%20introduced%20to,identified%20fairly%20easy%20by%20a%20number%20of%20techniques.

That was a very interesting read, thank you! By the looks of it, the local lab just needs a competent and trained eye to be able to determine whether the stone has been oiled or diffused. Good news for me, and I'll make sure to check with them beforehand just to be sure.

 

[Avondale]

I didn’t realize this was an international purchase.

It's not an international purchase, but it would be international travel to a lab if I were to go for GIA or AGS - entirely unjustified in terms of effort and cost. At best I could send to one of the Swiss labs, but that's limited by a number of ifs - if the stone isn't synthetic, if it isn't treated, if I like the look of it in person, if I actually buy it, if by some miracle its blue is beautiful enough to warrant high value, which would in turn mean it's worth it to send to one of the bigger labs...

This is why I'll be going with a local lab, and that is provided the spinel doesn't light up in pink under UV torch when I go see it. I know that cobalt spinel prices are insane, but that's for those really pretty, really saturated blue stones. This one's grayish, most probably. I doubt the value would be significant enough for it to classify as a treasure find, it's more a matter of, it's a decent sized stone and I might find it pretty enough. I'm a sucker for blues.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

It's not an international purchase, but it would be international travel to a lab if I were to go for GIA or AGS - entirely unjustified in terms of effort and cost. At best I could send to one of the Swiss labs, but that's limited by a number of ifs - if the stone isn't synthetic, if it isn't treated, if I like the look of it in person, if I actually buy it, if by some miracle its blue is beautiful enough to warrant high value, which would in turn mean it's worth it to send to one of the bigger labs...

This is why I'll be going with a local lab, and that is provided the spinel doesn't light up in pink under UV torch when I go see it. I know that cobalt spinel prices are insane, but that's for those really pretty, really saturated blue stones. This one's grayish, most probably. I doubt the value would be significant enough for it to classify as a treasure find, it's more a matter of, it's a decent sized stone and I might find it pretty enough. I'm a sucker for blues.

Oh, well, if it's 400- 500 dollars they're offering it for then it's a nice buy for a pretty ring. Wear and enjoy. The likelihood it's natural is pretty small.

Cobalt is the name of the game even in undersaturated color. It is the difference between the ring being @$400.00 dollars as a pretty synthetic or thousands.
Example:
This small vendor is Sri Lankan based- affiliated/licensed directly with the nearest lab.
Pretty, has gray, only 2 carats...has cobalt per report.
Sold for almost $5000.00.

This item is unavailable - Etsy

Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more.

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This one, same vendor, doesn't have cobalt. 2 ct stone.
Still asking around $1800.00

SOLD 2.00carat Natural Blue Spinel Emerald Excellent Cutting Brilliant Luster Pastel Shade Loupe Clean Unheated Loose Stone - Etsy

This Gemstones item by EmbellishedFineGems has 8 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Sri Lanka. Listed on Mar 8, 2024

www.etsy.com

You said your stone is 10mm? 4+carats or so?
This is just for fun, it's crazy out of control pricing at $45,000, but you get the gist.

Gray Blue Spinel Ring Gem 4.15 Carat Round Loose Gemstone For Sale at 1stDibs | gray gemstone ring, blue gray gemstone, greyish blue gemstone

For Sale on 1stDibs - Rare and exclusive 4.15 carat grayish Blue Spinel round gem, offered loose to a devoted gemstone collector. Returns are accepted and paid by us within

www.1stdibs.com

 

[Avondale]

You said your stone is 10mm? 4+carats or so?
This is just for fun, it's crazy out of control pricing at $45,000, but you get the gist.

Are you kidding me.

Okay, for that alone I will go and see it. So far I've only seen smaller, about a carat stones being discussed in different threads and the consensus has been that about $200 per carat is a reasonable price. And I thought, well how much of a price hike could there be for something in the 4ct range? Certainly not that much, right? So I assumed if natural and untreated it could be a good deal - get the stone for reasonably cheaper than it would otherwise be, repurpose the setting as a ring for my MIL, make something nice for myself. Now I'm starting to really get curious.

 

[pokerface]

The fact that a natural spinel should be priced much higher I would hope would be a turn off rather than a turn on. IMO the stone appears to be synthetic and you'd be getting a poor deal for a synthetic stone, not a unicorn deal for a natural one. The diamond-less setting is typical of synthetics, the stone is too large and too clean and the price is too good. It is disappointing that the gemologist identified this as a natural stone. What are his/her credentials? I am deeply suspicious that a "natural" spinel would be a such bargain if priced by a knowledgable person and fear that the shop is not reputable.

 

[Avondale]

The fact that a natural spinel should be priced much higher I would hope would be a turn off rather than a turn on. IMO the stone appears to be synthetic and you'd be getting a poor deal for a synthetic stone, not a unicorn deal for a natural one. The diamond-less setting is typical of synthetics, the stone is too large and too clean and the price is too good. It is disappointing that the gemologist identified this as a natural stone. What are his/her credentials? I am deeply suspicious that a "natural" spinel would be a such bargain if priced by a knowledgable person and fear that the shop is not reputable.

Chill out, dear. I never said what the ring is being sold for. It's a pawn shop, prices are always up for negotiation. I only said that if the stone was natural, the price would be reasonably lower than what I thought it would otherwise cost if sold by a gem dealer. It also shouldn't be neglected that prices in the US are not indicative of the whole market, so guessing based on them is bound to be inaccurate. Labour costs and overall business costs can be much more reasonable in other smaller countries and I'm still on occasion baffled by how much Americans will overpay sometimes.

And you mean to tell me that you're able to identify this as synthetics just by looking at this low resolution image of quite honestly hideous quality? Yes, it could very well be synthetic, but no more and no less than any other stone being sold in a pawn shop could be synthetic. Nothing in this photo (or any of their other photos) shows the stone as either clean or included, nothing even shows the colour well. When I see it I'll make sure to take better pictures and then everyone can have fun guessing to their hearts' content. If I like it enough in person and there's a possibility that the spinel is natural, a lab will be tasked to confirm this.

 

[pokerface]

I think that when you take the totality of circumstances into account, there is no reasonable chance of this being a natural spinel. Like @T L said, the setting style is a big indicator here, regardless of metal type.

 

[T L]

Oh, well, if it's 400- 500 dollars they're offering it for then it's a nice buy for a pretty ring. Wear and enjoy. The likelihood it's natural is pretty small.

Cobalt is the name of the game even in undersaturated color. It is the difference between the ring being @$400.00 dollars as a pretty synthetic or thousands.
Example:
This small vendor is Sri Lankan based- affiliated/licensed directly with the nearest lab.
Pretty, has gray, only 2 carats...has cobalt per report.
Sold for almost $5000.00.

This item is unavailable - Etsy

Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more.

www.etsy.com

This one, same vendor, doesn't have cobalt. 2 ct stone.
Still asking around $1800.00

SOLD 2.00carat Natural Blue Spinel Emerald Excellent Cutting Brilliant Luster Pastel Shade Loupe Clean Unheated Loose Stone - Etsy

This Gemstones item by EmbellishedFineGems has 8 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Sri Lanka. Listed on Mar 8, 2024

www.etsy.com

You said your stone is 10mm? 4+carats or so?
This is just for fun, it's crazy out of control pricing at $45,000, but you get the gist.

Gray Blue Spinel Ring Gem 4.15 Carat Round Loose Gemstone For Sale at 1stDibs | gray gemstone ring, blue gray gemstone, greyish blue gemstone

For Sale on 1stDibs - Rare and exclusive 4.15 carat grayish Blue Spinel round gem, offered loose to a devoted gemstone collector. Returns are accepted and paid by us within

www.1stdibs.com

Wow, that’s crazy!! It’s important to note that just because a gem is cobalt bearing, that does not mean it’s superior in color. I’ve seen non cobalt bearing blue spinel that are more saturated in color than some cobalt bearing spinel. For those in the market for blue spinel, each stone should be evaluated for its beauty, not necessarily its chemical makeup, and do not overpay for a gray stone simply because it contains cobalt.

 

[PrecisionGem]

If you have a UV light, you check the stone your self. Almost all flame fusion blue spinel under long wave UV light will be pink or red. Natural blue spinel will not have a reaction or look green. I tested all the rough lab blue spinel I have and this was true except for the pulled Czochralski material which showed a green reaction like a natural stone. Just make sure you have a long wave not short wave UV.

 

[T L]

If you have a UV light, you check the stone your self. Almost all flame fusion blue spinel under long wave UV light will be pink or red. Natural blue spinel will not have a reaction or look green. I tested all the rough lab blue spinel I have and this was true except for the pulled Czochralski material which showed a green reaction like a natural stone. Just make sure you have a long wave not short wave UV.

That’s a good test. If it glows red or pink, I’d be really suspect. However, I do own a natural violet blue spinel (think tanzanite color) that glows red under long wave UV. I know it’s natural due to the inclusions it has (probably Vietnam origin).

 

[PrecisionGem]

Chill out, dear. I never said what the ring is being sold for. It's a pawn shop, prices are always up for negotiation. I only said that if the stone was natural, the price would be reasonably lower than what I thought it would otherwise cost if sold by a gem dealer. It also shouldn't be neglected that prices in the US are not indicative of the whole market, so guessing based on them is bound to be inaccurate. Labour costs and overall business costs can be much more reasonable in other smaller countries and I'm still on occasion baffled by how much Americans will overpay sometimes.

And you mean to tell me that you're able to identify this as synthetics just by looking at this low resolution image of quite honestly hideous quality? Yes, it could very well be synthetic, but no more and no less than any other stone being sold in a pawn shop could be synthetic. Nothing in this photo (or any of their other photos) shows the stone as either clean or included, nothing even shows the colour well. When I see it I'll make sure to take better pictures and then everyone can have fun guessing to their hearts' content. If I like it enough in person and there's a possibility that the spinel is natural, a lab will be tasked to confirm this.

What is the asking price of the ring?

 

[Nick_G]

That’s a good test. If it glows red or pink, I’d be really suspect. However, I do own a natural violet blue spinel (think tanzanite color) that glows red under long wave UV. I know it’s natural due to the inclusions it has (probably Vietnam origin).

I also have a deep blue spinel in marble from the Hunza Valley in Pakistan that also fluoresces a pink-to-purple colour in LWUV, presumably due to some chromium. Apparently these spinels are also supposed to be cobalt-bearing but I haven't had mine analysed, Pic attached.