Spinel - Burma and Ceylon


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An old "day glow" pink red Burma spinel back from a collector with a brand new AGL Prestige Report. Some call these stones Jedi or electric pink. The original AGL document was 1991. (See Below) The stone was originally "oiled" and we professionally cleaned out the stone. Now the stone is not clarity enhanced (See new AGL). Of course, the stone has never been heated. This stone puts the new production of African spinels to shame. Burma spinels rarely come any more electric these days. The new Prestige Grading Report says the stone is 4.5 color and 70 tone. Clarity is MI2. The stone has a high 60-80% brilliancy. The cutting and finish are typical Burmese standards. The depth is a perfect 71.7%. If this stone was an unheated Classic Burma ruby it could sell for over $25,000 per carat. This gem is attractively priced at about 10% of an unheated Classic Burma ruby. This is a gem for a true spinel connoisseur or could be mounted in a killer ring. Click here for more information.
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A screaming "stoplight or pigeon blood" gem red spinel. The stone is 70% red and 25% orange or 95% red orange. This color combination is sought after by many connoisseurs , who consider this the ultimate color combination. The gemstone has no brown or grey. The stone has a perfect 75 tone, an open color that never blacks out. The stone has minor eye visual inclusions at MI1 clarity. The stone was cut slightly shallow and looks larger. The stone has 50-60% brilliancy. The gem has good cutting and finish numbers typical for a Burmese stone. If this stone was an unheated Classic Burma ruby it could sell for over $250,000 per carat wholesale. This gem is attractively priced at 4% of an unheated Classic Burma ruby. They traditionaly sell for 10%-20% of unheated Burma rubies, so this gem has a large upside potential. For the true spinel collector or client who wants the Burma ruby look for a fraction of the price. Click here for more information.
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Bought this stone in Tucson at the 24 Gem Show.  Had a pretty hard time buying any Burma spinel.  One dealer had a large inventory but 99% were below a carat. The other major dealer I often buy from has not bought in years in Burma because the prices are insanely high.  He only had 4 old spinels left.  This one was the prettiest and a color I haven't seen in years.  In the old days, we would call these "day glow" or "fluorescent electric" spinels.  They do not grade real high because they are not pure red but still are killer rocks.  As you can see by the new AGL, the stone grades as reddish pink.  Of course, that means pink is the primary color and red secondary. A couple of small spinel clear crystals are the reason for the MI1. Unbelievably excellent to very good cutting (2-3) and excellent finish (2) plus super high brilliancy at 90%. Of course, the stone has no heat or evidence of clarity enhancement. A super collectible for a spinel connoisseur or stunning mounted. A 4 carat unheated Burma ruby with these numbers would be at least $100,000 per carat, so you can own this for 4% of that wholesale price. Click here for more information.
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One of the largest color change spinels on the market. The blue is similar to a light blue sapphire and the purple is similar to an amethyst. This stone is ultra-rare. The majority of the value of any color change stone is the color change. According to AGL, color change is strong and the quality of the change is excellent. No need to use your imagination with this stone, the color change is obvious. Further, the color tone is 3/75. This means the stone is top color and perfect tone. The colors are vivid and the stone never "black-out." The clarity is MI1, so you can see some inclusions in the rock. The proportions and finish are extremely high at Excellent to Very Good. You rarely see these numbers from a stone from Asia. The depth is 78% and the brilliancy is 100%, or the same as a round diamond! Finally, the stone has the coveted excellent TQIR. Lastly, the stone has no clarity treatment or enhancement. The gem has also been graded by GRS. It contains the special comment, "A spinel of excellent clarity and brilliancy, with this color of low tone and pastel to medium saturation, combined with play of color due to dispersion is very rare. The play of color is achieved by a combination of an excellent cutting style and well-balanced proportions." See this comment in the link below. A 25.79 color change spinel recently sold for almost $9000 per carat at auction in Hong Kong, December, 2015. A fascinating gemstone to collect or a different stone to mount in jewelry. Click here for more information.