Edwardian Ceylon pink spinel and diamond coronet cluster ring, circa 1910.

This ring is in excellent condition.

The name 'Spinel' is actually derived from the Latin word “spinella”, meaning little thorn, due to their sharp crystal formation. Like diamonds, Spinel are part of the cubic crystal system and they form in perfect octahedrons. A hard and durable gemstone, spinel scores an 8 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, making it a perfect choice for a piece of jewellery.

Spinels can come in a myriad of colours, including red, pink, orange, blue, violet, green, and black. The finest spinels exhibit a bright and brilliant red, which can be similar in appearance to ruby, leading to historical confusion between the two gemstones. It was only in 1783 that mineralogist Jean Baptiste Louis Rome de Lisle developed a test to differentiate between ruby and spinel.

The so-called 'Black Prince's ruby', found on the British Imperial state crown is one of the most famous examples of a Spinel that was confused as a Ruby for centuries!