A 18.17 Mahenge, Tanzania Red Spinel sold for $630,375 or almost $35,000 per carat.
Although not as expensive as the famous pink Hope Spinel (sold for $1.5 million in 2015), the 18.17 sold for more on a per carat basis.
At Bonham's on May 17, 2022, A 18.17 Mahenge, Tanzania Red Spinel sold for $630,375 or almost $35,000 per carat (including buyer premium).
It's ultra rare to see a gem Burma red spinel over 10 carats. Generally speaking, the African spinels are not as red as the top Burmese spinels. However, African spinels are ocassionally found in larger sizes. It's tough to judge the color exactly from photographs. Especially auction photographs due to the professionalism of their full time photographers. Let's face reality. They are highly paid to make the stone look as good as possible.
Courtesy: Bonham's
Nevertheless, the auction photos look similar to the AGL grading report. Perhaps the AGL photograph makes the stone show a touch more pink/purple than the Bonham photos.
Courtesy: Bonham's
What is really amazing is the above GSR photograph. The stone looks neon red, almost like a pigeon blood Burma ruby. I question these images because they look Photoshopped. Interestingly, their photograph also shows a large window (low brilliancy) in the gem image. Of all these images, I trust the AGL color reproduction the most. We would have preferred the AGL Prestige Grading Report with brilliancy and clarity numbers instead of the Origin Report only. That being said, the stone ls large, red and looks clean. An amazing stone that sold for an amazing price. The spinel market powers ahead during these inflationary yet down stock, bond and crypto markets.
Courtesy: AGL/Bonham's