How Do You Identify Cobalt Blue Spinel?

Cobalt shows slightly different absorption features on a spectrometer graph than does iron. High cobalt content also causes Spinel to appear bright pink under a Chelsea filter, or even bright red when the concentration of cobalt is high enough. Cobalt Spinels also fluoresce pink or red under long wave UV light.

How do you identify a cobalt spinel?

Natural cobalt spinel is vivid blue and is colored by cobalt. The color ranges from greenish blue to violet blue. Natural cobalt spinel can be separated from lab created blue spinel by its RI and spectra.

Is cobalt blue spinel rare?

If your spinel has a rich saturated blue color, it is rare and valuable whether or not it contains traces of cobalt.

How can you tell if a blue spinel is real?

The proper way to analyze whether Spinel is real is to put it under a UV Radiation Light. Set it to long-wave and look for any stones that are particularly glowy. If the stones are glowy, that means it’s synthetic and not natural.

How much does cobalt blue spinel cost?

Note – Blue Spinel price per carat ranges from Rs 1,500 per carat ($25 approx.) and some auction quality pieces can grab a whopping price of Rs 50,000 per carat ($780 approx) and above in India.

What is cobalt blue spinel?

Blue coloration in spinel is created by cobalt (Co2+) substituting for magnesium (Mg2+) in structure. Iron (Fe2+) is present and as the amount of iron increases, the saturation of blue decreases to blue-gray colors. Since iron is more common than cobalt as a coloring agent, vivid cobalt blue spinels are the rarest.

What is the most valuable color of spinel?

red spinel
Some spinel colors are more rare and valuable than others. In general, red spinel is the most desirable, followed by fine cobalt-blue spinel, then by vibrant hot pink and vivid orange stones. Violet and bluish purple to purple, or lavender, stones tend to be less attractive, and less in demand than other, rarer colors.

Is blue spinel expensive?

Price for the Cobalt Blue Spinel from Vietnam can reach many thousand dollars per carat. However this perfect blue material is so rare and limited, the maximum size you can get is below one carat. Any well-cut gem above one carat and especially two carats is collectible and exclusive.

What color is close to cobalt blue?

ultramarine blue pigment
The closest color to cobalt blue is ultramarine blue pigment. The main difference between the two is that cobalt blue is a cool color, while the ultramarine color is warmer.

Is cobalt blue real?

Cobalt Blue is a 2013 fictional drama novel by Indian film director, screenwriter and playwright Sachin Kundalkar.

Does spinel glow under black light?

Fluorescence under UV rays: A Natural Spinel has the strongest fluorescence under a long wavelength and weak to absent under a short wavelength. While, Synthetic Spinels have strong fluorescence under a short wavelength and may often a bright blue, chalky green, or red fluorescence.

What is a cobalt blue stone?

These gemstones are commonly known as Cobalt Blue Spinel. In many sources, such as Sri Lanka, the spinel will have a high iron content, which often makes the gemstone darker. This results in a blue greyish to violet-blue color, rather than the pure blue it is known for.

Is blue spinel the same as sapphire?

Firstly, When comparing these stones side by side, one may notice that the Sapphire’s color is more vivid blue. Although Spinel does come in such vivid saturation, it is less common, as Spinel is typically less saturated than Sapphire. A vivid gem will command a higher price. Hardness.

Is spinel worth now?

The value of spinel varies based upon its color, clarity, and rarity. The most valuable spinel is red spinel, as well as blue, orange, and pink. Its price per carat can be as low as $50, while exceptionally rare spinel costs a few thousand dollars to over $9,000 per carat.

Where are blue spinels found?

Blue spinels are mined in Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Vietnam (Shigley and Stockton, 1984; Delaunay, 2008; Pardieu and Hughes, 2008). Vietnam’s two major spinel deposits, Luc Yen and Quy Chau, were discovered at the end of the 1980s.

Is spinel worth buying?

The mineral itself is very durable, it has a hardness of 8 and is higher than garnet or tourmaline which makes it a great alternative gemstone for engagement rings. Consumers also need not have to worry about treatments and enhancement like with rubies and sapphires because spinels are generally not treated.

What is special about cobalt blue?

Cobalt blue is lighter and less intense than the (iron-cyanide based) pigment Prussian blue. It is extremely stable and historically has been used as a coloring agent in ceramics (especially Chinese porcelain), jewelry, and paint. Transparent glasses are tinted with the silica-based cobalt pigment smalt.

Why do they call it cobalt blue?

The name “Cobalt blue” comes from Middle High German kobolt = an underground goblin (cobalt was thought to be detrimental to silver ores).

Are spinels magnetic?

Many spinel compounds are magnetic insulators or semiconductors; however, a number of spinel-type metals exists including superconductors and some rare examples of d-derived heavy-fermion compounds.

What colour is spinel blue?

Spinel comes in blue, with the finest stones comparable to that of sapphires, and considered extremely rare. Most blue spinels are deep in color tending towards gray, and some with a violet tinge. Spinel also occurs in shades of yellow, some incredible pinks, lavenders, purples, and blue-greens.

What is the rarest blue gemstone?

Blue Spinel: The Rarest Blue Gem In The World

• Of all the gemstones in the world, there is only one that occurs in a natural shade of blue.
• Spinels come in a variety of shades, but the blue spinel gemstones are the ones receiving a heightened amount of popularity lately.