Description
Black Spinel, Natural, Smooth Round, 8mm
This price is for strand 15" to 16" long
8mm smooth round strands have approx. 50 pieces
Black spinel is a rare, natural magnesium aluminum oxide mineral that offers a deep, inky black color with an incredible, mirror-like metallic luster when polished. For a long time, spinel was overlooked or mistaken for other gems, like black tourmaline or even diamonds, but it stands completely on its own as a premium, durable material.
What makes black spinel highly prized by lapidaries and bench jewelers is its structural integrity. It is an isometric mineral, meaning it forms in symmetrical crystal structures, often perfect octahedrons, giving it uniform optical properties from every angle.
Spinel typically forms in high-temperature metamorphic environments, often found alongside corundum: rubies and sapphires. Because of its high hardness and resistance to weathering, it frequently erodes out of its primary host rock and accumulates in riverbeds and gravel plains. The premier commercial sources for high-quality black spinel include Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Madagascar, and Cambodia.
In 2016, the American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America officially named spinel as a modern August birthstone, joining peridot and sardonyx.
Mohs Hardness 8
This stone is cut, drilled & polished in China
