SPINEL

Throughout history, Spinel has been a bit of an ‘underdog’; certainly misunderstood and definitely mistaken for other stones. This is partly because of the wide variety of colours in which it can be found, but also because of its superb colour saturation and clarity making it easy to mistake for other stones such as Ruby or Sapphire. In fact, one of the most famous examples of this is the 170ct red Spinel which is currently the centrepiece of the United Kingdom’s Imperial State Crown. Named the Black Prince Ruby, it dates all the way back to the 14th century, which shows how long Spinel has been under appreciated for!

These days, Spinel is appreciated and valued in its own right as a gemstone due to its excellent hardness, durability and beauty. It was most recently brought to attention in 2007, when a whopping 54 kg of the most spectacular, and now fabled, fiery pink-red Spinel roughs were discovered in Mahenge, Tanzania, reigniting the modern world’s desire for Spinels. Mahenge is now known as one of the world’s premium sources of vibrant pink Spinel. It is mined in various locations around the world, though some of the finest examples are found especially in Mahenge, Tanzania but also Mogok, Myanmar and Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.

MADLY is the only company in South East Asia with a direct sourcing office in the Mahenge region, which means that we have first pick of all of the best Spinel roughs coming from the mines in the area.