the.com/spinel
the gem that fooled kings into wearing rubies that weren't
means A hard, glassy mineral made of magnesium aluminium oxide that crystallizes in octahedrons and comes in red, pink, blue, and other colors — long mistaken for ruby and sapphire until chemistry told them apart.
from The name likely comes from the Latin 'spinella,' a diminutive of 'spina' meaning 'thorn' or 'spine' — a nod to the sharp, pointed octahedral crystals the stone naturally forms. Some link it instead to the Greek 'spinos,' a sparkling word, but the thorn story is the one most often told. For centuries red spinel passed quietly as ruby in royal treasuries; the famous 'Black Prince's Ruby' in the British crown is, in truth, a spinel that fooled its way to the top.
- royal impostor
- The Black Prince's Ruby in England's crown is spinel
- perfect cubes
- Crystals grow into flawless octahedrons, no cutting needed
- color range
- Comes in red, pink, blue, violet, black
- name origin
- From Latin spinella, meaning little thorn
- late respect
- Only recognized as distinct from ruby in 1783
balas ruby — red spinel gemstone mined in badakhshan, afghanistan, historically mistaken for ruby in crown jewels
black prince's ruby — 170-carat red spinel set in the imperial state crown of england since 1367
spinel steven universe — antagonist character introduced in the 2019 steven universe film, a sentient gem