![]() ![]() The silver in cobalt is capable of performing wonderful tricks! When light hits cobalt, it reflects in a bluish tone. What is cobalt and how is it capable of turning a gemstone blue? Cobalt occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, and it is a silver-toned metal. The presence of cobalt is what creates the blue in these gorgeous gems. So, why does blue spinel occur naturally blue? To answer that requires an examination of the gem’s chemical composition.īlue spinel is predominantly composed of magnesium aluminate, but it owes its radiant color to a combination of two other chemicals: cobalt and iron. ![]() Even with a lower cleavage ranking, blue spinels are adored by jewelers and collectors worldwide. When gemstones don’t break along these planes, you end up with a fractured gem, rather than an intentionally-cut stone. Gemstone cleavage refers to how readily a gem will break along one of the natural planes. Blue spinels share many fundamental qualities with diamonds, but what sets them apart is the overall cleavage. What makes them so beloved? They are among an elite class of naturally colorful gemstones that require no modification whatsoever. While it might seem like blue spinel has become a crown jewel overnight, they’ve been cherished worldwide for years. Paired with the impressive brightness of these gems, the blue spinel is an impeccable stone. On the Mohs scale, blue spinels are relatively hard with a ranking of eight. Whereas some gemstones rely on enhancements and treatments to illuminate or saturate their color, these gems come from the ground in that sparkling blue hue.īlue spinels come from Sri Lanka, but they’ve also been mined in regions of Madagascar, the Pamir Mountain Range, Tanzania, and Vietnam. You might be wondering what’s the difference between these blue gems and others like sapphire and aquamarine? Quite a lot, as blue spinels are completely free of modifications or treatments. In this article, we’re spilling all the glittering details about the blue spinel! What is Blue Spinel?Īs you can easily gather, this particular gem is a member of the spinel family, along with flame spinels and rubicelle spinels. What makes blue spinel exceedingly popular? Spinels come in a variety of shades, but the blue spinel gemstones are the ones receiving a heightened amount of popularity lately. ![]() The spinel gemstone comes in a variety of colors, but its blue variation stands out from the crowd. What makes this water-toned gem so special? It’s one of the few naturally-occurring blue gems. Meet the blue spinel, one of the rarest gemstones in the world. If it is used in a ring, bracelet, or other impact-likely item of jewelry, a design that guards the stone should be used.Of all the gemstones in the world, there is only one that occurs in a natural shade of blue. Tanzanite is best used in earrings, pendants, and pins, where abrasion and impact are unlikely. Sapphire has a Mohs hardness of 9, while tanzanite has a hardness of about 6.5. For those reasons, tanzanite has become a lower-cost alternative to sapphire. It costs much less than sapphire, but is every bit as attractive - some people even prefer tanzanite over sapphire. In the United States, tanzanite is the second most popular blue faceted gem after sapphire. Tanzanite's wonderful blue color and Tiffany's promotion quickly made it an extremely popular gem. Tanzanite is a relatively new gem, first discovered in the 1960s, whereas most other popular gems have been known and used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Tiffany and Company selected the name to honor the country where it is produced. Tanzanite is a violetish blue gem that is only found in commercial amounts in the African nation of Tanzania. ![]()
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