Red Spinel Earrings Forbidden Gemstone of Empress Catherine II Antique Gemstone Crown Jewel Gemstone Spinel Studs 19th Century Gem #66439.2

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Two Antique Genuine Natural Faceted, Handcrafted Rich Red w/Pink Sparkles Semi-Precious Spinel Gemstone Rounds. Mounted into contemporary high quality sterling silver studs.

CLASSIFICATION: Faceted Red Spinel Round.

ORIGIN: 19th Century Gemstone. Contemporary Setting.

SIZE: Diameter: 4.5mm. Depth: 3mm. All measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: 0.78 carats.

NOTE: 14kt solid gold settings and other setting styles (french hooks, lever backs, euro clicks, kidney wires, ball/stud dangles, etc., are available upon request. Sterling silver settings are also available, if preferred.

DETAIL: The name “spinel” is probably derived from the Latin word “spinella”, itself derived from the Greek word meaning “spark”, probably in reference to the bright red or orange color of some crystals. Spinel was also known to the ancient Romans, who made extensive use of spinel in the production of jewelry. One of history’s largest spinels is a faceted red spinel of more than 400 carats which once belonged to Empress Catherine II . Nicholas Spafary, the envoy to China, bought this gemstone for Tsar Alexis I. He purchased it from a high-ranking Chinese court official and secretly took it out, as in China it was forbidden to sell “rubies” to the foreigners, as they must only belong to the Emperor. One of history’s most famous spinels is the “Samarian Spinel”, the world’s largest spinel weighing 500 carats. It is part of the Crown Jewels, displayed at the Museum of the Treasury of National Jewels. According to legend the gemstone once adorned the Biblical Golden Calf, mentioned in Exodus 32.

Looking like a very vivid and richly hued red sapphire, one instantly knows it is not merely iolite or amethyst due to the tremendous brilliance and flash of the gemstone. Is it corundum; sapphire or ruby? It has all the fire and sparkle of a precious gemstone. Actually if you were able to examine the crown jewels of the royal families of Medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian Europe from England to Siberia, you would find many fabulous examples of this gemstone. And had you been able to ask the actual owners of these gemstone, royalty all, or their royal jewelers as to the identity of this stone, they would have answered ruby or sapphire - corundum. But history would prove them wrong, as many of the greatest, most massive, and most valuable rubies and sapphires in the crown jewels of Europe's royalty were: spinel. With nearly the same hardness as corundum, and similar flash and brilliance (refractive index), it has been mistaken for rubies, sapphires, and other precious gemstones for centuries.

These vivid and richly colored and brilliant gemstones share this heritage. The gemstones were hand crafted and faceted by a 19th century artisan, part of an heritage renown for the production of the elaborate gemstones and jewelry of the Czars of Medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian Europe. The faceted cut is a coarse precursor to what eventually became known in the industry as a “brilliant cut” round, the contemporary finish generally given to round diamonds. The result of the artisan's efforts was a pair of exquisite and incredibly rich red colored gemstone with brilliant, almost metallic orange sparkles. They truly have all the flash and brilliance of a ruby, purple sapphire, or diamond. In fact though much more richly colored than any red sapphire, they are probably going to be most often mistaken for red sapphires should you be the fortunate new owner of these amazing gemstones.

The earring settings are of contemporary origin. They are high quality settings manufactured by one of the USA’s leading semi-custom mount producers. They are constructed of sterling silver; they are not cheap, silver electroplated earrings. It is genuine sterling silver, designed to last a lifetime. It's a first-class piece of jewelry throughout. There are many other setting styles available which, in sterling silver, could be substituted for either no or nominal extra cost. Please write us, ask, we can send you photos of the various alternative earring styles available. We can also reset the gemstones into 14kt solid gold or 14kt gold fill upon request.

Spinel, like the rubies and sapphires it is so often mistaken for, is noted for being a rather "dirty" gemstone, much like emeralds and tourmaline as well. However these specimen are no worse than eye clean, and even in the accompanying photo enlargements, it is difficult to discern any significant blemishes. To the naked eye they are without flaw, richly hued, and alive with sparkles. Good quality spinel is in extremely short supply, especially such clean specimens, and can be very costly. These are at the present time a couple of only a handful of specimens we have to offer. Even at the source it is a quite uncommon and fairly scarce gemstone.

Most other setting styles in sterling silver are available at no additional cost. Additionally, if preferred, this mounting (as well as a wide variety of ring settings in other appealing styles) are also available in 14kt solid gold. Under magnification the gemstones show the unmistakable, hallmark characteristics of having been hand crafted. The coarseness of the 19th century finish is considered appealing to most gemstone aficionados, and is not considered a detriment, or detract from the value of a gemstone. These characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, many believe that such antique hand-crafted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than today's mass-produced, laser-cut gemstones. Unlike today’s computer controlled machine produced gemstones that approach flawlessness in a perfect finish, the cut and finish of a handcrafted gemstone such as this is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago.

Handcrafted though they may be the gemstones possess superb luster and sparkle, and to the eye are completely transparent, but one cannot say with absolute certainty that they are unconditionally flawless. True, the blemishes they possess are not visible to the naked eye, and the gemstones can be characterized, to use trade jargon, as "eye clean". To the eye it is indeed flawless; however were one to examine it in a jeweler’s loupe, it’s almost certain that a few minute blemishes could be detected. Of course the same may said about almost any natural gemstone. An absolutely flawless gemstone simply is not the rule in nature. Most absolutely flawless gemstones will upon close examination be revealed to be synthetic. You might also notice under magnification occasional irregularities in the cut and finish. Naturally these characteristics are not only expected of hand-finished gemstones, you must also consider that two centuries ago the mining techniques prevalent did not allow the ultra deep mining operations which are so common today.

Keep in mind that two centuries ago mankind was more or less limited to surface deposits or near surface deposits of gemstones. Higher quality gemstones which today are routinely mined from beneath hundreds of meters, even kilometers beneath the earth's surface, were simply inaccessible then. For these reasons antique gemstones must be appreciated as antiques first, gemstones second. The relatively superlative quality of contemporary gemstones routinely mined from deep beneath the earth's surface today were simply not accessible two centuries ago, or at least, only rarely so. However for most, the unique nature and character of these antique gemstones more than makes up for the blemishes found within the gemstones, as well as the cutting irregularities common to handcrafted gemstones, all of which are by and large (if at all) are only visible under magnification.

HISTORY OF SPINEL: The name “spinel” is probably derived from the Latin word “spinella”, itself derived from the Greek word meaning “spark”, probably in reference to the bright red or orange color of some crystals. One early known use of spinel was from about 100 B.C., spinel discovered by archaeologists in a Buddhist tomb. There are also references to spinel in ancient Sanskrit (India’s ancient language) texts, which referred to spinel as “the daughter of ruby”. Spinel was also extensively was used in jewelry by the Romans. Mariners as early as the 11th century knew spinel as “lodestone”, which literally means “way stone”.

Due to the unique magnetic properties of spinel, it literally “found the way” for ancient mariners as it was used to magnetize the compasses which they used to guide their ship's course at sea. This also saw the beginning of the art of cartography, as seaman began to plot the courses of their voyages and create the earliest maps of the world. Spinel comes in a wide variety of beautiful colors and is especially prized for its red, blue, pink, and purple varieties. The red variety has oftentimes been mistaken for ruby, and many of the so-called “rubies” in Europe’s crown jewels are actually spinel.

The most famous example is the Black Prince's “Ruby”, a magnificent 170-carat red spinel that currently adorns the Imperial State Crown in the British Crown Jewels. Long believed to be a ruby, this gem was once owned by the Arabian Emirs, who were the rulers of Granada (present-day Spain). In the 14th century, Pedro the Cruel, the king of Castile, under the pretext of negotiations, drew into ambush the Emir Abu Said and ruthlessly murdered him and took the gemstone. The gemstone was given to England’s Edward the Black Prince, heir to the British throne, in return for military service putting down an insurrection raised against Pedro the Cruel.

King Henry V then wore the gemstone on his battle helmet during the battle of Azincourt in 1415 A.D. King Richard III of England, the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, wore the same helmet during the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 A.D., where he was killed. Another very famous spinel is the “Timur Ruby”, a 352-carat red spinel named after Tamerlain, the Tartar conqueror who came to possess the gemstone as a result of his plunder of Delhi, and ordered that his name be carved upon it. The gemstone eventually returned to India, where it was incorporated into the famous “Peacock Throne”, which was subsequently brought back to Persia in 1739 by the conqueror Nader Shah.

When Nader Shah was assassinated in 1747, the Peacock Throne itself disappeared from historical records (presumably disassembled), though the magnificent spinel which was its centerpiece survived. Now owned by Queen Elizabeth, the gemstone has the names of some of the Mughal emperors who previously owned it engraved on its face. Yet another noteworthy faceted red spinel of more than 400 carats belonged to Empress Catherine II. Nicholas Spafary, the envoy to China, bought this gemstone for Tsar Alexis I . He purchased it from a high-ranking Chinese official and secretly took it out, as in China it was forbidden to sell “rubies” to the foreigners, as they must only belong to the Emperor.

The Samarian Spinel is the world’s largest spinel weighing 500 carats, and is part of the Crown Jewels, displayed at the Museum of the Treasury of National Jewels. According to legend the gemstone once adorned the Biblical Golden Calf, mentioned in Exodus 32. The Hebrews escaping from Egypt in the 13th century B.C. asked Aaron, the brother of Moses to fashion a golden calf, an idol that was then worshipped by the ancient Hebrews. Moses later came down from the Sinai carrying with him the tablets containing the ten commandments, and upon seeing his people worshipping the golden calf, ordered its destruction. However, the worship of the Golden Calf continued up to the 10th century B.C. till the age of Jeroboam I, King of Israel.

In the ancient world red spinel was also known as a “Balas Ruby”, and was mined in Northwest Tajikistan, and traded throughout China and Europe. Although history does not document the mining of spinel until about 750 A.D., it is likely the source for the spinel of the Romans and the rest of the classical Mediterranean. Marco Polo mentioned the famous “Badakhshan” mine which produced this gemstone, describing the gemstone as “Balas Ruby”. The name for Badakhshan in the ancient world was “Balascia”, from which the name “Balas Ruby” was born.

Though spinel is presently less expensive than ruby, it is many times more rare. And despite all of the confusion in Europe over what was spinel and what was ruby, in Ba where both gemstones have been mined for many centuries, spinel was recognized as a separate gem species as early as 1587 A.D. However in Europe, confusion lasted for many centuries after that, red spinel still referred to as “Balas Ruby” or “Oriental Ruby” for several more centuries. As well, blue, pink, and purple spinel was oftentimes mistaken for sapphire. In Siberia, the origin of this gemstone, spinel has been produced continuously from a nearby deposit since 1843 A.D.

Now treasured for its own sake, spinel is a favorite of gem dealers and gem collectors due to its brilliance, hardness and wide range of spectacular colors. Red and orange spinel owes its color to chromium, violet to manganese, and to iron or cobalt for the very rare blue variety of spinel. In addition Spinel has historically also been produced in Ceylon, and has recently been discovered in Tanzania (home of tanzanite). Throughout the history of the ancient world, gemstones were believed capable of curing illness and providing protection.

Found in Egypt dated 1500 B. C., the "Papyrus Ebers" offered one of most complete therapeutic manuscripts containing prescriptions using gemstones and minerals. Gemstones were not only valued for their medicinal and protective properties, but also for educational and spiritual enhancement. In the ancient world spinel was associated with love, was worn as a protective talisman, and was said to help the wearer resolve contentious issues, to put their ego aside, and become devoted to another person. Spinel also was believed to encourage passion and is said to increase the duration of the wearer’s life, and was also said effective in relieving sadness.