The name of the spinel is believed to have come from either the Latin word, “thorn,” which means spine, because of its pointed crystalline form, or the Greek word meaning “spark”, in reference to its bright color . The spinel has been extracted for centuries and has been one of the most famous gemstones. Historically it has been known as “Ruby of the Black Prince”.
As the name suggests, it is a red colored gemstone, which was thought to be a ruby. It is the most famous example of a spinel identified as a ruby with 170 carat brilliant.
The first known owner of this precious stone was Abu Said, the Moorish prince of Granada, in the fourteenth century. The stone went through several owners and eventually made its way into the crown of the United Kingdom, where it is mounted just above the famous Cullinan II diamond.
Spinel is a hard vitreous magnesium aluminum oxide that has been used as a gemstone for many centuries. The beauty of spinel has caused it to be confused with ruby and sapphire. However, the spinel deserves to be recognized as a precious stone that is worthy of appreciation in its own right.
It is produced in a wide range of colors, such as pink in shades of pink to deep red; lavender to deep violet; from light color to dark blue, orange, yellow, brown and black. It can be distinguished from other precious stones by its octahedral crystal structure and unique refraction. In addition, the spinel has a hardness of Mohs inferior to ruby and sapphire.
The significant deposits where they have been found in Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Thailand. Other places are Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, Nepal, Nigeria, Tajikistan, Tanzania and the USA.
Uses and benefits of the spinel
It is a soothing stone due to its harmonizing energy. Therefore, it is recommended for those people who suffer tension and stress. It is also thought to stimulate the renewal and healing of the organism, since it has different healing properties and is attributed to the spinel according to its color. The red spinel is used to improve vitality. The green and pink spinel encourage love and compassion. The violet spinel is associated with spiritual development and the yellow spinel is linked to intelligence. This stone is traditionally linked to the zodiac sign for Gemini and is associated with the planet Mercury. In Feng Shui, it is said that the spinel carries the energy of the yang fire.
The spinel is a precious stone that attracts the powers of all the kingdoms and all the energies of this world. It is used to magnetize prosperity, wealth and money.
Physically it makes the gums and teeth stronger and is also beneficial for the skin, thinning of the body and cancer, recovery of health and overweight.
Spiritually it attracts the energy of Mother Earth so that spiritual searches can obtain the powers they need and help us to move towards the best destinations. Cleans the aura, which is used for clairaudience, channeling and astral travel. It attracts energy in the form of cleaning so that it can clear information from the most vibrant way.
On the emotional level it is much more effective when this gemstone is connected to the root chakra. This chakra attracts the sense of peace and tranquility being very useful in times of critical situations. It also reduces depression, stress, worries and eliminates tension and anxiety. The spinel is connected to the root chakra and is a seat of kundalini energy. In this perspective, it is possible to obtain the black or red spinel, which can become much more effective. All the colors of the spinel have their own related chakras.
The dark blue shadow of the spinel is linked to the throat chakra, facilitating communication and expression. The yellow and orange tone of this stone are connected to the solar plexus chakra and the other shades with the personal energy.
